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FIFTY YEARS 



IN 



Brown County Convent 



By a Member of the Community. 



OINOINN ATI : 

MloDONAIvD & CO. 
1895. 






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♦ • 

• • • 



TO THE MOST PURE HEART 

OF 

MARY IMMACULATE; 

OUR MOTHER AND QUEEN ; 

WHOSE LOVING CARE 

AND 

MOST GRACIOUS PATRONAGE 

HAVE GIVEN TITLE TO OUR HOUSE; 

WE HUMBLY OFFER THIS WORK 

OF LOVE. 



TO OUR PUPILS— 

WHO CHERISH WITH US 

THK AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE 

OF THOSE WHOSE lyABORS 

HAVE PASSED INTO ETERNAI. REST; 

WHO REVERE WITH US 

THEIR SACRED EXAMPI.ES 

OF GENEROSITY AND LOVE OF GOD, 

OUR HERITAGE AND THEIRS ; 

WHOSE LOVE FOR THEIR FOSTERING MOTHER 

IS A CHAIN THAT BINDS THEM 

TO HER AND TO EACH OTHER— 

WE DEDICATE THESE PAGES. 




PREFACE. 




IFTY years in a Convent! Can the so-called, "stony-hearted 
human fossils" who have been imbedded within these four 
walls of brick for half a century, — who teach a system of 
education "good enough for the Middle Ages, — can they wake 
from their long sleep; from their dreary routine of praying and 
fasting, to send forth aught to the world around them that will interest it? 
Such is the question that will, perhaps arise in the minds of many 
into whose hands our book may fall. For these, we did not write it. Its 
simple mission is to gratify the pupils who love us and their Alma Mater; 
to fortify the strong with a repetition of the ever new and ever old lessons 
of God's love, remembered from their childhood, and to strengthen the weak 
if in aught they have swerved from the pleasant paths they walked in the 
freshness of life's morning. 

Many incidents and details, still fresh and interesting to individual 
minds, but which would have increased the size of our already large volume, 
have been omitted, and names that are gratefully remembered when each 
morning we pray, ''pro omnibus nobis bona facieniibus^ were, for the same 
reason, left unrecorded. 



For kind encouragement, and liberal subscriptions to tlie getting up of 
our simple story, we owe grateful acknowledgment to our Most Reverend 
Archbishop, William H. Elder, and to our late Superior, now the Right 
Reverend Bishop of Nashville, Tenn. The compilers of "The History of Mt. 
St. Mary's Seminary," Reverend Michael J, Kelly and Reverend James M. 
Kirwin, have been most courteous in giving us the use of several cuts from 
their beautiful volume. The Reverend Father Malone, of the Colorado Catholic, 
also afforded us, through the kindness of Mrs. C. R. Hurd, of that city, the 
means of verifying several facts of which we were uncertain. We beg, also, 
to include in this tribute of thanks our former pupils and many kind friends, 
whose prompt and generous response in subscribing, has given us hope that 
they will accept these pages in the spirit of affection in which we send 
them forth. 

Convent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
St. Martin's, Brown County, Ohio, 

October 28, 1894. 
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude^ Apostles. 





CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



SAINT ANGELA MERICI AND HER LIFE-WORK. 



Introductory Remarks — St. Angela's birth, and parentage — Her childhood — 
Her beauty of form and soul — Her early religious training and fer^'^or — Loss of her 
father, Giovanni Merici, in 1489, followed by the death of her sister — First vision 
of the Saint — Goes with her younger brother to the house of her uncle Biancosi, 
after her mother's death — Returns to Desenzano and begins her active work — Be- 
comes a Franciscan Tertiary — Loss of her brother and friend — Vision of angels, in 
which her future field of labor, Brescia, is foretold to her — Forms acquaintance 
with the Patengoli family of Brescia— They invite her to Brescia in 15 16 — Her 
labors in that city^French occupy Northern Italy — Long years of waiting — The 
Saint's diffidence in undertaking the great work of founding her Order — The 
" Company of St. Ursula," canonically inaugurated, November 25, 1535 — Members 
live in their own homes. 



xii CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER II. 



SPREAD OF THE ORDER IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 



Rules confirmed by Bishop of Brescia — House founded in Milan — St. Charles 
gathers the first Ursulines in community — Other cities call them to the work of 
education, Parma, Genoa, etc., etc. — Mother Frances de Bermond, first Ursuline of 
France — Mother Cecilia of the Cross, first cloistered Ursuline of Paris, 1614 — 
Madame Acarie — Madame de Sainte Beuve — Mother Cecilia sent to found the con- 
vent of Amiens, 1614 — Elizabeth de Wicquet founds the convent of Boulogne sur- 
mer, the mother house of Mother Julia Chatfield, 1624 — Beaulieu, mother house of 
Ma M^re Stanislaus, founded in 1614 — Its re-establishment after the Revolution — 
Spread of the Order in America — Founding of the convent in Quebec, contemporary 
with that of Harvard University — Convents of New Orleans, New York, Boston, 
Charleston — St. Martin's — Visit of Bishop Purcell to Boulogne in 1839 — Some 
events of his journey — Relation of these by Bishop Macheboeuf— His own visit to 
France in 1844. 



CHAPTER III. 



FROM BEAULIEU AND BOULOGNE TO CINCINNATI. 



The nuns of Beaulieu hear of Mr. Macheboeuf s intentions to take a colony 
of Ursulines to America — They apply to Boulogne to accept them for the purpose 
— Letters between the two communities — The house of Boulogne agrees to send 
three sisters — Mr. Macheboeuf goes to Beaulieu — The opposition of the towns- 
people of Beaulieu to the proposed leaving of the sisters — Flight of Mother 
Stanislaus and Sister Bernard to Paris — Mr. Macheboeuf absent in Tulle — De- 
parture of Mother St. Peter and other sisters from Beaulieu — Meeting and stay in 
Paris — They set out for Havre to meet Mother Julia, Sister Hyacinthe and Miss 
Dunn: — The stay at Havre — Parting and embarkation — The voyage in the Zurich — 
Their fellow-passengers — Arrival at New York — Slow custom house officials — De- 
parture for Philadelphia and Baltimore — Hospitality of the Visitation nuns — Visit 
to Georgetown Convent — Arrival in Cincinnati— Reception by Bishop Purcell. 



CONTENTS. xiii 



CHAPTER IV. 



1845-1850. 



Entertained by Mrs. Corr — Attend High Mass at the Cathedral — Notre M^re 
and Mother St. Peter determine to visit St. Martin's — Bits of Brown County his- 
tory — Tecumseh's domain — Battle with the Indians at East Fork — Gen. I^ytle and 
Michael Scott — First Mass in Brown County — Father Kundig builds St. Martin's 
Church in 1830 — Father Reed builds the brick house, afterwards occupied as a 
Theological Seminary, in 1832 — Fathers Cheymol and Gacon take charge in 1839 — 
Notre Mdre and Mother St. Peter in Brown County — A strange nocturnal visitor ! — 
Departure for Chillicothe — Return to Cincinnati — Miss Dunn enters as postulant — 
Bishop Purcell decides to locate the future Convent at St. Martin's — The arrival, 
July the twenty-first — ' * Brown County ' ' in existence ! — Mr. Macheboeuf goes to 
his mission — The first chapel — They resume the habit — Father Gacon Superior — 
Reception of Sr. Josephine — Money borrowed from Boulogne to erect an academy 
— First pupils entered October 4, 1845 — Community consecrated to the Blessed 
Virgin — Religious instruction for First Communion — Plans for new academy 
drawn up by Notre M^re — Excavations, brick and lime burning and stone quarry- 
ing begun in November — Severe winter and hardships borne — First Communion — 
lyaying of comer stone — Incidents during progress of building — Incorporation of 
the St. Ursula I^iterary Institute — Profession of Sister Hyacinthe, 1846 — Winter of 
1846-1847 — The new building ready for occupation — Visit of Monseigneur Mache- 
boeuf — Profession of Sister Josephine — Entrance of Sister Coeur de Marie, Sister 
Ignatius and Sister Conception — Mrs. Purcell comes to live in Brown County — 
House struck by lightning — Procession of the Blessed Sacrament — The first Distri- 
bution of Premiums — Entrance of Sister Xavier, Sister St. John, Sister Ursula and 
Sister St. Clare. 

CHAPTER V. 



1850-1860. 



New bell donated by Father Butler — Notre Mdre's visit to Cleveland — Religious 
Profession — Fathers Lamy and Macheboeuf called to Sante Fe — Letters — Bishop 
Purcell goes to Rome to receive the pallium — Letter from S. H. R. — Return of the 



xiv CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. — CONTINUED. 

Ardibishop— His mother a Countess — First May party — Procession of the Blessed 
Sacrament — Conversion and entrance of Anna Haughton — Visit of five Bishops — 
Commencement under the tent — Affiliation of the Charleston community — Violent 
storm — Death of Mrs. Purcell — Father Che3^mol visits France — Foundation at 
Springfield — First elections — Death of Sister Alphonse Wise — Father McLeod — 
First death of a pupil, Mary Bennett. 



CHAPTER VI. 



I 860-1 870. 



New building opened — First commencement in the new hall — Rumors of war 
— Religious Profession — An unexpected return — Visit of the Archbishop to Rome 
— Foundation at Opelousas asked for — Building of the Chaplain's residence — Re- 
ligious Profession — Consecration of Doctor Rosecrans — Solomon's Run — Improve- 
ments — Grounds laid out — Apparatus for cabinet of physics purchased — Moving to 
the cells — Reception to the Archbishop — Visit of Mother St. Peter on her way to 
France — Notre Mare's illness — A new organ presented — Crown and Star — The 
march introduced — The chapel moved to the Commencement Hall — Departments 
changed — Death of little Mary Hope — Retreat by Bishop Rosecrans — Holy Week — 
Deaths of Katie Duffin and Reverend Father Gacon — Appointment of Father Pur- 
cell as Superior — Retreat preached by the Most Reverend Archbishop — The house 
fitted with gas— Death of Caroline Scammon — Building and dedication of the new 
church of St. Martin's — Building of music rooms and play hall — Death of Mary 
Taafe — Of little Margaret Coleman — The fish scale stolen — Death of Sister Marie 
Bouret — Reception to the Archbishop — Sermons preached by Reverend Father 
Purcell at religious receptions. 



CHAPTER VII. 



1870-1880. 



Death of Mother Stanislaus — Una's Poem — Death of Hannah Murphy — Elec- 
tion of Sister Ursula, Assistant — Religious Profession — Archbishop Purcell's re- 
turn from the Vatican Council and his reception in Cincinnati — Burning of the 



CONTENTS. 



XV 



CHAPTER VII. — CONTINUED. 

gas works — Death of Sisters Gonzaga and Philomena — Visit of Bishop Lamy — 
Death of Sister St. John — The first coming of the influenza — Death of Katie 
Stockle and of Sister Bernard — Religious Profession — Consecration to the Sacred 
Heart — Statue of the Sacred Heart — Death of Josephine Lavaur and Sister Bene- 
dict — Failing health of Notre M^re — Election of Sister Teresa Sherlock — The 
parish school in I^ondon, Ohio— Religious Profession — Death of Sisters Michael 
and Raphael — Brilliant commencement exercises — Religious Profession — Sermon 
of Bishop Rosecrans — Death of Sisters Genevieve and Pauline — Golden Jubilee of 
Most Reverend Archbishop Purcell— Death-bed Profession — Solemn Profession — 
Elections — Eight professed — Sudden death of Sister St. Charles Rosecrans, followed 
in a few months by that of her uncle, Bishop Rosecrans — His visit to Notre M^re — 
Illness and death of Notre M^re— Obituary — Sketch of her life— Death of Mother 
Angela in France —Father Purcell's failure — He comes to Brown County — Death 
and burial of Miss Kate Purcell — Of Mother St. Peter — The Archbishop in New 
York — The ladies' bazaar— His Grace makes a prolonged visit to St. Martins — 
Religious Profession. 

CHAPTER VIII. 



I 880-1 895. 



Death of Sister Antonio — Appointment of Right Reverend W. H. Elder, co-ad- 
jutor and administrator of the Diocese — He visits the Archbishop — Disbanding of 
the pupils — Return — Commencement — Election of Sister Ursula Dodds — Proposed 
foundation in California — Departure of the Sisters — The Archbishop stricken with 
paralysis — Death and funeral of Father Purcell — Birthday of the Archbishop — 
Father Quinn succeeds Father Purcell — Visit of the Right Reverend Bishops 
of the Province — Religious Profession — Anniversary Mass for Father Purcell — 
Death of Sisters Margaret and Martial — Refurnishing of the Archbishop's 
room — His anniversary of consecration — The dedication of the Blessed Virgin's 
chapel — Last illness of Archbishop Purcell — His holy death — Demonstrations 
at his funeral — Sketch of his life — The month's mind — London school given 
up — Plans for building a chapel — Progress of the work — Laying of the corner 
stone — Failing health of Father Cheymol — Appointment of Reverend Thomas 



XVI 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. — CONTINUED. 

McLeigh as Chaplain — Last illness of Father Cheymol — His Life and labors 
— Death of Mother Augustine — Of Sister Bernard Roberg — Of Sister Christine 
— Consecration of the new chapel — Sermon by Right Reverend Bishop Watterson 
— Second re-election of Mother Ursula — Dispensation from Rome — Unexpected 
legacy — Burning of the Barns — Death of Sister Genevieve — Religious Profession — 
Death of Sister Mary Francis — Election of Sister M. Baptista Freaner — Death of 
Sister Bernardine — Of Bishop Macheboeuf — Of Reverend P. A. Quinn — His funeral 
and burial in Brown County — Succession of Very Reverend Thomas Byrne — Elec- 
tion of Mother Ursula Dodds — Latest losses by death — Mother Josephine, the last 
survivor of the original band of founders — Consecration of Right Reverend 
Thomas S. Byrne — Religious Professions. 




Index to Illustrations. 



Page 

Frontispiece, .......... 

Most Rev. ArchbivShop Purcell — 1859, ...... 25 

Compact of Most Rev. Archbishop Purcell, and the Missionaries, . .28 

Rt. Rev. P. J. Macheboeuf, D. D., ...... 30 

Ursuline Convent of Boulogne-Sur-Mer, . . . . . -33 

Flight of Ma Mere and Sister Bernard in disguise from Beaulieu, . . y] 

Group of Sisters, ......... 52 

St. Martin's in 1845, ........ 63 

Rev. Wni. Cheymol, ......... 70 

Commencement Hall and Music Rooms, . . . . .120 

The Chaplain's Residence, . . . . . . . .127 

Bits of Landscape in 1863. ...... 132-133 

Very Rev. Edward Purcell, ....... 140 

Mother Stanislaus, . . . . . . . .178 

Grotto of the Sacred Heart, . . . . . . . .189 

Most Rev. J. B. Purcell— 1876, ....... 208 

Mother Julia Chatfield, . . . . . . . .218 

Play-Ground of Salvadore House. Boys' Academy. Surrey, . . 222^ 

Most Rev. Archbishop Elder, . . . . . . . 238 

Ursuline Convent of Santa Rosa, Cal., ...... 243 

Rev. P. A. Quinn, ........ 254 

Interior Sodality Chapel, . • . . . . . . . 259 

The Convent Cemetery, . . . . . . . ■ '^■'JZ 

Chapel of the Sacred Heart, . . . . . . .281 

Main and Side Altars of Chapel, ...... 284 

Bits of Landscape in 1887, ....... 287 

Groupof Children of St. Martin's School, . . . . .288 

Rt. Rev. Thomas S. B3'rne, D. D.. . . . . . . 290 

Interior Views, ......... 292 

On Commencement Day, ....... 293 



ERR A TA. 

Page 117 — line 26, for redish, read reddish. 

Page 119 — line 18, for ellegance, read elegance. 

Page 122 — line 26, for St. Mary's, read Mount St. Mary's. 

Page 133 — line 12, for Chalfans, read Chalfant. 

Page 183 — line 16, for professed, about etc., read professed about. 

Page 189 — line 6, for its, read it. 

Page 190^ — line 17, for successions, read succession. 

Page 208 — line 26, for Carberg, read Carber}^ 

Page 224 — line 16, for Infalliable, read Infallible. 

Page 224 — line 20, for was, read were. 

Page 262 — line 17, for sound, read sound of. 

Page 265— line 11, for searching, read surging. 

Page 272 — line 2^, for aniversary, read anniversary. 

Page 246 — line 4, for Bishop, read Edward. 

Page 273 — line 30, for crystalized, read crystallized. 

Page 293 — line 32, for libitation, read libation. 



''■—-ax; {cy 



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TO SAINT ANGELA MBRICI. 



N the number of her children she did hide herself, 

Until her very name, unknown to fame, 

Did well nigh fade away, 

In the garish light of day, 

Unnoted and unsung. 

But her spirit is a ray 

Of God! 

And it lives with us for aye, 

Unto God's eternal day, — 

Never to depart. 

Oh ! it kindleth light and love ; 

And it maketh e'en the dove 

A lyion set at bay, — 

A conqueror in the fray. 
Of human passion, that so stirreth human life 
And it calls — a trumpet voice — 
To souls of Heaven's choice, 
That, like her own, rejoice 

To lift the clinging shrouds of human ignorance, 
To set the Spirit free! 



Oh ! she knoweth not men's praises. 

Oh ! she hideth in the mazes 

Of her own deep humbleness. 

And the ages do not know, — 

They are heedless that they owe 

To her of long ago, 

A gracious gift sublime. 

Oh ! ' * Beginner of a time ' ' 

When love and knowledge twine 

To draw, by love Divine, 

An army in accord — 

With its helmet and its sword. 

All heedless of award, — 

To fight for Truth, and right, — for freedom and for God ! 




CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



SAINT ANGELA MERICI, AND HER LIFE-WORK. 




F all ambitions common to the heart of man, there is per- 
haps not one more laudable than that which loves to 
praise and emulate the worth, the virtues, the honor 
of a long line of distinguished ancestors ; which exults 
with a thrill of joy over the genius, the heroism, the saintliness 
of those whose blood fills their veins, and stirs the impulses of 
their hearts to beat in accord with all that is noble, and good and 
true. This thought of a precious heritage, comes to us at times, as 
a breeze of bracing air from the summit of some distant mountain- 
top, and, refreshing the valley of our lowness, we drink in the life- 
renewing draught, and rise with quickened pace to tread again the 
desert and plain that have been the pathway of those before us, to the 
golden-gated city of God. How often we need this impelling strength 
in the wear and tear, the bustle and hurry of this busy age, in this 
ever-striving, never-resting nineteenth century, in this great New 
World, which has so obliterated the family traditions that have lived 
for centuries, in the fatherlands across the sea ! 



2 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

In the toil and privation incident to the settlement of our vast 
country, in the struggle for Independence and Union, in the absorbing 
work of the development of our national genius and our great national 
resources, we have swelled our hearts with a national pride, and they 
have been satisfied, nay, exultant, in the thought that we were born 
Americans, children of our great Mother, the Republic of these United 
States. But though national pride and national traditions may suffice 
to inflame our souls with patriotism, and swell the mind with noble 
sentiment ; though pride of birth may not be so strong a characteristic 
of ours, as of the European, the heart must come to the hearthstone for 
its loves, and gather under the sheltering branches of the family tree, 
if the pride and pomp of national glory be laid low, and the nation, 
like Israel of old, be clad in the garments of humiliation and woe. 

It is in this spirit, that we, as Ursulines, as members of a great 
religious family, born of the supernatural life of grace flowing from the 
heart of our noble Mother, St. Angela, — it is in this spirit of family 
love that we approach our work of keeping alive the memory of our 
holy Mother, and the zealous laborers that have carried on her glorious 
work for the last fifty years, in this Western home. The daughters 
of St. Angela, and the pupils who are the objects of their zealous 
care ; for whose love and the greater love of God, they leave all other 
ties, may well point with honest pride to a long line of noble ancestry, 
hallowed and sanctified, by every joy, by every suffering, by every 
sacrifice, that a religious life imposes upon those who have taken 
upon themselves its easy yoke and burdens light. Whether seeking 
to stem the tide of infidelity that swept over fair Italy from Northern 
Europe, during the first half of the sixteenth century ; whether 
fighting the scourge of death that decimated its beautiful cities and 
smiling villages in the same century ; whether sowing the seeds of 
learning broadcast over the fertile fields of Europe, or the unre- 
claimed wildernesses of America, in the seventeenth and eighteenth, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 3 

or whether marching with unfaltering step and joyous mien to the 
death of the guillotine, — everywhere, the daughters of St. Angela 
have shed lustre on their Mother's name, while they have looked to 
her for the protection and continued existence promised her when, by 
divine inspiration, she founded them, a monument of her zeal for all 
time, and her crown of glory for all eternity. 

It is the mother who stamps the character of the growing family, 
it is her spirit, her influence, that lives in the life of her children. So 
with the religious household. It is the great heart of the Mother, St. 
Angela, that throbs through the heart of every Ursuline Community in 
this Western world, that gives it its distinctive character, that makes 
each Ursuline what she is, or should be to her pupils — a mother. So 
we lead our dear readers back to tell them of this noble -hearted, 
broad-minded woman, who is truly called the Apostle of modern 
education of women — to show how her prophetic soul seemed to 
catch sight of the great incoming wave of the intellectual develop- 
ment of woman, which has left such distinctive marks on our own 
century, and which may be called the crowning glory of its close. 

In one of sunny Italy's most beautiful gardens, the little town of 
Desenzano, nestling on the southwestern shore of the beautiful Lake 
Garda, the child Angela was born on the 23rd of March, 1474. Her 
father was Giovanni Tomasso Merici, her mother of the family of 
Biancosi, from Salo. Both were honored names in their native dis- 
tricts, the Merici being registered among the burgesses of Brescia, 
the Biancosi nearly allied to the rank of nobles, and held in great 
esteem. Angela was one of five children, of whom her biographers 
mention but one brother younger, and an older sister, who was very 
closely associated with the first important events of her life. 

We are told that the little Angela was a singularly beautiful 
child, fair-haired, rosy-hued, light and graceful in her movements, 
sweet-tempered, low- voiced, and eminently gifted with that loving 



4 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

unselfish nature, which is always ready to sacrifice self to the good 
and happiness of others, and which, in her case, never rested until 
it had taken up in its generous embrace well nigh all of sunny Italy. 
These and many other indications of nobility of nature in Angela's 
early years, that penetration and precious gift of self-control of which 
her biographers make special mention, bespeak the moral worth and 
richness of faith of the family from which she sprung. It seems as 
if her very cradle had been rocked by the spirits of goodness and 
beauty, and that they continued to watch around her all through 
the formation of childhood and youth. As the smiling shores of 
her own Lake Garda girded her about with Nature's loveliness, so 
was the home that reared her, the guardian of every grace, the 
fruitful source of noble example and lofty aspiration. All accounts 
of the family of Giovanni Merici, show that he was a man of remark- 
able strength and goodness of character, well qualified to be the 
father and first teacher of a future saint. It was his custom to gather 
his family about him each evening for religious exercises, beginning 
with lessons from the lives of the saints. These appear to have 
inspired his little daughter Angela, as they did the little St. Teresa 
in her Spanish home, to practical imitation of their heroic examples, 
for we find her seeking deprivations, penances and sufTerings, in all 
of which she was joined by her elder sister, to whom she looked 
up so lovingly as counsellor and friend. 

And so the years sped on, filled with the sunlight of love and 
innocent gladness. But in 1489, when the young girl had passed her 
fifteenth year, began that long procession of sorrows, that was effectively 
to woo and win her heart from natural joys to supernatural charity ; 
to turn her from the sweet endearments of the narrow circle of the 
family hearth, to the active love and service of the great world which 
lay beyond it. 

In 1489, that loved father, who seemed to have a presentiment 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 5 

of the life-work to which his daughter was called, was suddenly- 
snatched away. But in this first great sorrow, Angela did not stop 
to dwell upon herself. She and her sister devoted themselves to 
sweetening the bitter cup for their stricken mother. But within the 
year of Giovanni Merici's decease, the angel of death visited the 
second time the sorrowing home, and carried from it almost without 
any warning the sweet and holy sister of Angela. Two weeks after 
this grievous parting, occurred an incident which the Bull of canon- 
ization notices. It was harvest time, and Angela was carrying the 
customary food and drink to refresh the weary workers in the fields, 
while, as she went along, her whole heart was absorbed in the 
thought of the dear one, so lately snatched from her. Her heart was 
grieving at the remembrance that the last sweet and powerful conso- 
lations of religion had been denied her. And now, in quivering pain, 
she looks up to Heaven, and prays for that sister, — so tenderly beloved. 
But what is this ! The fields, the citron groves, the clustering vines 
all disappear, and as if standing at the open gate of God's city, she 
sees, surrounding one who is evidently their queen, a multitude of 
angels and lovely maidens, among whom stands her lost sister ! 
Replenished with ecstatic joy and unearthly sweetness, Angela is 
motionless, forgetting all else in this glimpse of supernal joy, — of that 
Blessed Mother, to whom she had long since given her young heart, 
and of that loved sister, whom she now saw safe forever in joy unut- 
terable. But the lovely vision was not all. Suddenly she heard 
distinctly uttered from amid the shining throng: "Angela, persevere 
in the path you are following, and you shall have a share with us in 
the glory you behold ! " 

Very interesting would it be to follow the dear young saint, through 
all the varied scenes of her ever beautiful youth, on to the accom- 
plishment of its fruitful old age ; to sympathize with her sorrow when 
finally her mother's death makes the dear old home desolate, and 



6 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Angela, with her younger brother, goes to their uncle Biancose at 
Salo ; to watch them, blessing their new surroundings by a sweet- 
ness and holiness of life, which, as Salvatori assures us, won from the 
people of the country around such titles as, '*The Holy Maiden," 
^'The Virgin of Christ," ** The Little Saint of Paradise;" to follow 
her when she returns to Desenzano, and makes a decided beginning 
in her life of prayerful seclusion and public charity ; to note the 
ardent desire for personal union with our Lord, which led her to join 
the Third Order of St. Francis, that as a Tertiary Franciscan she 
might communicate every day ; to watch the train of providential 
circumstances which leads her finally to Brescia, and the series of 
gallant struggles, divine favors, and noble achievements, which crown 
her life there. But all this can not come within our scope, and so 
we group concisely the events and characteristics of St. Angela's 
life-work under two distinct headings, which, to an earnest student of 
the great Saint's history and spirit, must embrace or point to what 
is most significant in both her personality and labors : 
I. Her widespread personal influence. 

II. The extraordinary obstacles that stood in the way of her 
foundation of the Order, and her manner of encountering and over- 
coming them. 

I. 

Angela Merici's influence began in the home circle of Desenzano. 
The sister and brother whom God called so speedily to Himself, had 
already become deeply imbued with Angela's thoughts and feelings, 
while the young boy continued, at Salo, to look up to and follow 
eagerly and lovingly, the gentle leading and lofty aspirations of his 
beautiful sister. But this sweet association in goodness was not to 
endure. The last family tie is broken, the brother too is taken by 
death, and Angela stands alone. Very soon however another soul 
comes intimately within the spell of her influence, and in all youthful 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. *J 

earnestness and enthusiasm, takes up her aims, her ideals, and her 
Hfe, joining her at Desenzano, when, after her brother's death, she 
returned to labor in the old home, among her former townspeople. 
Thus, the two young girls set to work in earnest to do good. But 
here again the Master interferes. As the others had gone, so too was 
this new friend forcibly taken from her by the pitiless hand of death. 
Was Angela's love a blight that ruined all who shared it? No, but it 
would seem that God meant this great, womanly heart, bound by no 
personal ties, however holy, to turn all its loving strength and tender 
sweetness out upon the great, needy world, drawing within its inspiring 
love, not one or two, but myriads of priceless souls. 

At Desenzano, we are told, all the young girls, her former friends 
and playmates, gathered around Angela Merici, and even when they 
could not follow in her higher paths of goodness, they still loved to 
be near her always, tasting the sweetness of her words and ways. 
She, too, knew well just how far each could follow her, and that to 
win them to the goodness they could achieve, she, too, must follow as 
far as she might, along their ways, and sympathize in their innocent, 
but lower joys and sorrows. So it is one of the most significant facts, 
showing quite distinctly, the Divine approval of her spirit, that God 
should have revealed Himself to her in a vision, regarding her future 
work, upon the occasion of going with these same young friends, on 
a little pleasure excursion to some one of the beautiful spots around 
Desenzano. She had left her companions, for a few moments of prayer 
in a retired spot of the vineyard, when, all at once, she is dazzled by 
a flood of light, and from the opened heavens above her, sees a lumin_ 
ous ladder, reaching from on high, even to the earth on which it 
rested. Down the steps come a multitude of royal-crowned maidens, 
escorted on each side by shining ranks of angelic spirits, all singing 
in a chorus of divinest harmony. And lo ! among the glorious throng, 
she sees that dear friend so lately taken from her, and hears her say, 



8 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

** Angela, know thou that Our Lord hath sent thee this vision, to 
inform thee that before thy death, thou shalt found in Brescia, a 
society Hke this: such is His injunction to thee." 

Now her prayers are answered, — now she knows what God would 
have her do, and she begins to prepare herself for her work. She 
gathers children and young people around her, she instructs older 
persons who come to listen to her, she visits the poor in their homes, 
and goes into the workshops of the laborers, and exhorts them to 
return to God. Her unwearied zeal and active charity soon draw 
public veneration upon her. She was consulted, and her prayers asked 
in all directions, even from the city of Brescia, before she entered it. 
Men felt honored by a moment's conversation with her, and made 
pretexts to gain it. As with time Franciscan spirit, she persisted in 
living upon alms, many made this the excuse of inviting her to their 
table. Young as she was, the oldest and the highest sought her in 
their difficulties and trials, because they felt in her a divine wisdom, 
which was not due to the growth of her years. Many a man who 
sought her counsels in his temporal concerns, was drawn to open out 
to her wise and tender sympathy, the more urgent needs of his soul, 
and left her presence to begin a life given, at least, a little more to 
God. None who sought her aid, even at this early time of her life, 
could turn away without feeling that they had looked upon the face, 
and heard the words of a living saint, of a woman, who in giving 
herself to God, had given herself to them as friend and mother. And 
all this at Desenzano, before she had entered Brescia, where her 
appointed work was to be done. 

During this period of her life, one family in particular formed a 
true and lasting friendship for our saint, the noble Patengoli family oi 
Brescia, who spent the pleasant summer season on one of their estates 
at Padenga, a hamlet near Desenzano. They were a family remark- 
able for faith and piety in that unfaithful age ; and they had eagerly 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 9 

noticed, and then continued to watch the beautiful character and extra- 
ordinary holiness of Angela Merici, until familiar intercourse v^as 
established between them. God blessed this friendship for the favored 
girl, and made of it the means to open her way to the heaven-chosen 
scene of her future achievements in his honor, — to Brescia. Just as 
He often choses the weak to confound the strong, so He chose this 
almost ruined city for this manifestation of His power, as for several 
years before the dear Saint entered within its walls, its beauty, its 
commerce and its artistic pride, had been well nigh crushed by the 
French, in their campaign for domination in Italy, in the reign of 
Louis XII. The ruthless troops of Gaston de Foix, who in his anger 
at the resistance the inhabitants of Brescia had shown the French 
army, ordered an extermination, of which, an authority, so partial to 
the French as Bayard, tells us that twenty-two thousand persons oi 
every age and sex were butchered by the soldiery, the city being 
fired in many parts, and for days, crime and pillage reigned triumphant. 
The year 15 16 gave peace to Brescia, the French flag disappeared 
from her walls, but there was utter desolation in the Patengoli home. 
Within the space of a few months both of their promising children were 
stricken dead ; and now it was, that the sorrowing parents turned 
longingly to Angela for the consolation that she, better than any other, 
could give them. They applied to her Franciscan Superiors, and 
obtained an order that she should repair to them at Brescia, and they 
afterwards avowed, that Angela alone could have reconciled them to 
the sacrifice which God had demanded. It is easy to realize how her 
whole soul, rich as it was in charity, went out, not only to her afflicted 
friends, but also to the numberless sufferers of the blighted city. 
Here where God had so truly called her, through the twenty-four 
years of life that remained to her, her personal influence widened out, 
from day to day, with marvellous speed. From the time of the 
entrance to Brescia, twelve years elapsed before she could carry out 



lO FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT 

her plans, and make the God-ordained foundation of her Order, but 
they were years rich in fruit to all the inhabitants of the famous city. 

Soon after her taking up her residence at Brescia, she was suddenly 
gifted with supernatural science. Without ever having applied herself 
to study, all at once she understood and spoke Latin perfectly, 
discussed and commented on difficult passages of the Scriptures, and 
on many points of theology. The news of these wonders soon spread, 
and with this added inducement to visit her, the house of her friend 
Romano, where she had taken up her abode to secure more privacy 
than she enjoyed in the Patengoli household, and where others could 
have freer access to her, became a vast public school, where not only 
the poor and suffering, the simple and ignorant, but also able theo- 
logians, and gifted scholars flocked to hear her, while Romano was 
envied the honor of being her host. 

At one time Tomasso Gaverdi comes to her and she tells him 
how to sanctify himself in the station of life he is obliged to fill ; at 
another, it is two men of quality who scandalize the whole town by 
their mutual enmity and violence, and who resist all endeavors of 
their friends to reconcile them to each other, until Angela undertakes 
the task. They meet at her house, acknowledge themselves van- 
quished by her gentleness and give each other the kiss of peace. 
Even Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, hears of this extraordinary 
reconciliation, and soon after comes himself to Brescia to see her. 
She was absent from the city, and he did not succeed in meeting her 
until several years later, in 1528, when the account of their interview, 
so earnestly sought for by the Duke, is most remarkable for the ven- 
eration and trust on one side, and the humble strength and wisdom 
on the other. At its conclusion, Francesco besought St. Angela to 
become his spiritual adviser, to be his own protectress, and to be the 
intercessor for his afflicted people. Indeed, so conscientious and exact 
a writer as Dr. Bernard O'Reilly, in his life of the Saint, after many 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. II 

illustrations of the fact, tells us: ''We are bound to say, after a 
careful perusal of her biographers, that we have not given the reader 
any adequate conception of the wide and powerful influence exercised 
by her personal intercourse, by her saintly words even as much as by 
her saintly example." The Divine Might, dwelling within her, through 
the medium of her own humble charity and loving humbleness, was 
the secret of her charm, — her power. 

II. 

Several of St. Angela's biographers seem to have been very much 
perplexed by the extraordinary delay between the first vision relating 
to her foundation, and its final accomplishment. Some ignore the 
length of the time ; and some seek to explain it away, but hardly to 
their own satisfaction. To us, however, it seems to be accounted for 
by two reasons, each of which would have been, in itself, sufficient. 

In the first place, by the Saint's excessive modesty and diffidence 
in herself, which Providence may have permitted, both for her own 
sanctification and humiliation, and also to give her time to work the 
inestimable good which she accomplished among other classes and 
other people, whom she would not have reached, had she been 
entirely absorbed in the specific work of her foundation. But if this 
reason be considered questionable, what answer can be made to the 
fact that Brescia, and indeed all northern Italy, was the scene of war 
and desolation, during the entire mature period of Angela's life. So 
the wonder is, not that her Divine enterprise was so long delayed, 
but that it should ever have been accomplished, in the distracted Italy 
of the sixteenth century. True, in those days, monasteries and other 
holy institutions were not ruthlessly and shamelessly robbed and swept 
from the land, as our modern *' progressive " Italy has learned to do. 
In these earlier times, the people of Italy knew their best friends 
and unmoved by fanatic demagogues, right royally protected them. 



12 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Violence and plunder might work their way elsewhere, but not among 
the servants of the poor and suffering. No man or woman in all 
Brescia was so safe as *' Sister Angela" — no one in all the province, 
for whom the whole city would have so readily stood up as one 
man, to defend in all courtesy, love and reverence. But still these 
were unsettled and troublous times to begin a great new Order in the 
Church, that Holy Church, so torn and wounded in those days of 
so-called Reformation. But God wished it to be done, and so it was 
done, in spite of every obstacle. In spite of the fact that Italy was 
now the bone of contention between ambitious and unscrupulous mon- 
archs, as it had been of the early barbarians ; in spite of the fact that as 
Louis XII., a few years before, made it ring with the clash of arms, and 
weep with the dripping of blood, so even now his successor Francis I., 
and his rival Charles V., had turned the whole land into a reeking 
battlefield, until in 1527, when Angela was fifty-three years old, all 
Christendom was shocked by that shameless, that most outrageous 
stain on Christian arms, the sack of Rome, by the soldiers of a 
Christian Empire. 

Finally, in two years of almost hopeless waiting, peace was con- 
cluded, the treaty of Cambrai signed in 1529, and Venice, Milan, the 
Emperor and the King, at last sheathe the bloody sword. Now Angela 
returns from Cremona, whither for three years, the war had exiled 
her. Brescia is again her home, but though the war-clouds have 
seemingly passed over, and though that mysterious vision of the celes- 
tial ladder is continually haunting her thoughts, she still hesitates. 
Does she fear the return of the Lutheran soldiers, more than the 
poison of their heresy, which is penetrating even to Rome, while the 
Church is calling upon all lovers of Christ to apply the antidote? She 
has consulted Dom Serefino of Bologna, and after putting her through 
a long course of trial and delays, he declares her vision and her work 
to be from God, urges her to submit to the designs of Heaven, and 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 3 

go on courageously with her lofty enterprise. But Angela Merici 
feared nothing or no one, so much as she feared herself. 

The final cause that overcame all her doubts and launched her 
forth effectively in her great work, is variously stated by her different 
biographers, one side saying that it was a vision of St. Ursula, who 
rebuked her for her delays and want of confidence, the Saint according 
to some authorities, having before appeared to her, to promise her protec- 
tion and assistance ; others however assert that it was Our Lord Himself, 
who one night appeared and reproached her with so much displeasure 
that her heart was wounded to the quick, and she could hardly wait 
for the morning to break, that she might at once tell her director of 
the vision, and begin the heaven-directed foundation. According to 
this account, after receiving Holy Communion, she returned home and 
drew up the plan of her Institute. Whether this be true or not, " It 
is certain," says Mgr. O'Reilly, "that during the year 1535, Angela 
manifested unconhmon activity in preparing her companions, the local 
church authorities, and the public, for a formal inauguration of the 
Company of Saint Ursula. 

Now appeared the value of those years of waiting which had so 
endeared her to all Brescia, and had made all its inhabitants so well 
known to her, for in selecting companions, she had but to choose from 
among the very flower of the Brescian maidens, and for friends and 
supporters, had but to call, and the noblest and best of the city would 
flock to her side. She gathers twelve associates around her, of whom 
Barbara Fontana becomes her inseparable companion, living with her, 
and sharing her poverty and privations. The other eleven still con- 
tinue to live with their parents in their homes, united in their virginity, 
their piety and their charity, but apart, in various spheres and circum- 
stances, spreading abroad in that plague-stricken age, the sweetness of 
holy example, the precious fragrance of purity, austerity and love. 

How wonderful the plastic character of St. Angela's Order, which. 



14 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

alike in the torn and bleeding sixteenth century, in the worn and 
exhausted seventeenth, in the sceptical and wamng eighteenth, and in 
our own, teeming with all that is new and strange, has adapted itself 
to the needs of every land and of every time and circumstance ! 

When St. Angela first gathered together her little band, she knew, 
or, rather, God led her to know, that whilst the feeling of intolerance 
to the cloister was rampant, and the old, long - established religious 
orders found it difficult to keep their very existence, a new body of 
cloistered nuns was not the need, but rather a strong confederation or 
" Company," as she called it, of noble religious women, trained to 
enter the lists to fight for God and for the truth, not behind curtains 
and grilles, but in the very face of the enemy in home and school, in 
hospital and street. Truly, "She builded better than she knew," not 
only for her own day and generation, but likewise for a later time as 
well, when a broader education, spreading from the higher classes 
down, calls imperatively for the conquering spirit, that bravely issues 
from the safe and sweet retreat of cloistered life out upon the battle- 
field, where wages the war betwixt a Godless and a Christian educa- 
tion, whether it be in the academies and colleges for the rich, or in 
the school which lives and grows by the side of the parish church ! 

To the daughters of St. Angela, the twenty-fifth of November, 
1535, is a day of blessed memory, for it was on the feast of the 
virgin martyr. Saint and Sage of Alexandria, that the " Company of 
Saint Ursula " was formally and canonically inaugurated, the little 
band pronouncing their vows, and binding themselves to each other, 
and to a full observance of the rules of the Company. But the Spirit 
of God touched other hearts on that memorable morning, and before 
the twelve quitted the oratory, fifteen others had joined them, thus 
raising the number to twenty-eight in all. 

What shall we say of the above-mentioned rules and Constitu- 
tions of St. Angela ? To be understood they must be studied at the 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 5 

same fountain whence our Saint drew their beauty and their wisdom. 
They are the work of a woman whose great motherly heart speaks 
out in these few precious pages of her last testament, so eloquently, 
so inspiringly, that not only her special daughters, but all the Chris- 
tian world as well, must ever be the better for such a legacy of wise 
and tender charity. Well may the Ursuline Order be noted for its 
mother-like spirit, and well may its true daughters continue to drink 
deep of that great fountain of God-like love, gushing from the heart 
of their Mother St. Angela ! And while they look with sympathetic, 
kindling eye upon the almost countless other companies formed for 
Christian education, in that vast field that calls, and still calls, for 
more to reap the Master's harvests, this does not prevent us from 
remembering that the leadership of all the brave band, of all the 
woman - champions in the battle for modern Christian education, its 
first apostle is that loving Patroness of Christian Mothers and Pro- 
tectress of young girls — St. Angela Merici ! 

O Angela with God! she sees and hears! 

We will not let her from our life, but prove, 

Though gone from out the realm of human fears, 

Though high in Heaven's ecstasy above, 

She leads us yet — a peace-crowned queen, who cheers 

The fighting army started by her love ! 





CHAPTER II. 



SPREAD OF THE ORDER IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 




have seen that, in its first estabhshment, the 
Company of Saint Ursula did not Hve in com- 
munity, its members remaining at their homes, 
subject to the governesses of the growing society, 
whose rules and institutions were confirmed by 
the Cardinal Confinaro, then Bishop of Brescia. 
It was reserved to that great luminary in the 
church of the sixteenth century, St. Charles Bor- 
romeo, who called them to his see of Milan, to 
gather these virgins of Christ into community, and thus strengthen, 
by daily united labors, their power for success in the heavenly work 
of instructing the young girls confided to their care. Between 1540 
and 1590, the first fifty years after the death of our beloved Saint, 
we find the Congregations of Saint Ursula well established throughout 
Italy in the various cities of Parma, Genoa, Foligno, Venice, Cre- 
mona, Rome and others, which opened their gates with hospitable 
welcome to these zealous workers of God and of the church. 

But, as leading up to the specific object of these pages, we are 
most specially interested in the introduction and spread of the Order 

(16) 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 7 

over the kingdom of France, at this period undergoing all the 
changes and excesses consequent upon the so-called Reformation in 
Germany, and upon the development and growth of the bitter seeds 
of Calvinism, sown in its own fair fields in the first half of the six- 
teenth centuiy. It would delight us to recount all that the faithful 
annalists of these years tell us of our heroic mothers in religion, by 
whose united efforts hundreds of Ursuline Convents were spread over 
the vast territory of France and other states of Europe, until the 
great social and political upheaval of the French Revolution leveled 
church and convent to the earth, sent the religious and priests into 
exile, or condemned them to death, and gave their earthly posses- 
sions to the impoverished coffers of the State, or to the unholy hands 
of the ruthless mob. Before the Revolution, there were in France 
nine primitive houses of the Order, differing in points of usage and 
constitution, but united in one common end and spirit. These Congre- 
gations, as they were called, took the name of the respective cities in 
which they were founded : thus arose Congregations of Paris, Lyons, 
Bordeaux, Toulouse, Dijon, Tulles, Aries, Avignon and Dole. After 
adopting the cloister and perpetual vows, these Congregations sent 
offshoots into almost all the cities and towns of France. Tiron, 
in his " History of Religious Orders," gives the total number of 
Ursuline houses at the time of the Revolution as three hundred 
and forty -three, and the number of children instructed by them, 
for the most part gratuitously, as one hundred and seventy - one 
thousand. He says, also, that the most of these houses have been 
reestablished. 

But to those interested in learning more fully the organiza- 
tion and growth of the Order, and the biography of those who, 
by God's mercy, we trust, are now the joy and crown of St. Angela 
in Heaven, we would recommend any of the well-known works that 
give these subjects in detail. * 

* "St. Angela and the Ursulines."— O'Reilly. 



1 8 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

For our present purpose, to trace back to its beginnings the 
history of the Convents of Boulogne and BeauHeu, whence our own 
house was founded, we select several prominent figures, around whom 
may be grouped the details of this short sketch : 

1. Mother Frances de Bermond, the first Ursuline of France, 
born at Avignon in 1572, whose mind and heart seemed cast in the 
same mould as was the heroic soul of the holy Virgin of Brescia. 
We would fain speak of the graces of person, and the charms of 
her poetic mind and heart, of which her biographers tell us ; of 
how she consecrated all these in the bloom of her youth, and gave 
them to the service of God in gathering around her, like another 
Angela, a band of devoted maidens to aid her in her work of 
instructing the poor and ignorant. Hearing of the labors of the 
Ursulines in Italy, and one of her companions having by accident 
come into possession of the Constitutions of the Ursulines of Milan, 
Mother de Bermond, in 1594, determined to adopt them for her 
little society, numbering twenty -five, and to aflSliate it to the Ursu- 
lines of Milan and Brescia. Thus has she won the distinction of 
being the first Ursuline of France, following the Constitutions of 
Milan. 

2. The second figure in our group we shall know as the first 
Ursuline Nun, Mother Cecilia, of the Cross, nee Belloy. By her 
side, stand two noble ladies — to whom she owes the blessed privilege 
of cloister — known in the annals of our Order as Foundresses of 
the Ursulines of Paris, Madame Acarie and Madame de Saint Beuve. 
The former, Madame Acarie, a cousin of Madame de Saint Beuve, 
had introduced the Carmelites into France, and, after the death of 
her husband, becoming a lay -sister in that Order, she is known as 
Blessed Mary of the Incarnation, for she was beatified by Pius VI. 
One must not, however, confuse her name with that of the Vener- 
able Mary of the Incarnation, a Quebec Ursuline, whom we shall 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. I9 

introduce later on. Madam Acarie conceived the design of establish- 
ing the Congregation of St. Angela in Paris, and having selected 
twelve young ladies eminent for their talents and virtue, she begged 
her cousin, Madame de Saint Beuve, the wealthy, beautiful and accom- 
plished young widow of Claude de Roux, of the Parliament of 
Paris, to assume the work of founding the Ursulines in the capital. 
Madame de Saint Beuve obtained many pupils for these futiu'e 
religious from the best families in Paris, built them a convent, and 
invited Mother de Bermond to come from her beautiful Provence 
to imbue the young sisterhood with the spirit of the Holy Virgin, 
St. Angela. But Mother de Bermond, perceiving that the intention 
of Madame de Saint Beuve was to erect a monasteiy of cloistered 
nuns, was recalled by the community of Aix, and the abbess of a 
monastery at Soissons consented to form the young Ursulines for the 
religious state they were so soon to embrace. 

Great was the joy when the Bull of Paul V., " In Universa," 
dated June 13, 161 2, was received in the beautiful Convent of the 
Faubourg St. Jacques, — built and endowed by Madame de Saint 
Beuve, — erecting it into a monastery under the title of Saint Ursula, 
and enjoining upon its members not only the three vows of religion, 
but a fourth, that of the instruction of young girls. The clothing took 
place on November nth, and Mother Cecilia, the second figure of 
our group, was the first to wear the habit, veil and cincture of the 
Ursulines of Paris. But a deeper personal interest centers around 
her for the Brown County Ursulines, from the fact that seven months 
after having made the holy profession of her religious vows in 161 4, in 
Paris, she was sent to found convents of the Order at Abbeville and 
Amiens. Ten years later, the reputation of the schools which she 
had established at Amiens, inspired Elizabeth de Wicquet, a lady of 
the neighboring city of Boulogne-sur-mer, with the generous desire 
of giving the same advantage to the town of her birth, and of con- 



20 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

secrating herself to the service of God. Her noble father, the Lord 
of Dringhen, seconded her pious wish, and thus in 1624, ten years 
after Mother Cecilia, in her Parisian monastery, had won the honor 
of being the first to pronounce the distinctive vow of the Ursuline, she 
was forming to every virtue of the cloister the religious predecessors 
of our cherished Mother, Julia Chatfield. 

3. The third Ursuline in our group bears the name of Mother 
Antoinette Micolon, who, in 16 14, became the first Ursuline of 
Auvergne, in her native town, Ambert. She founded, also, the 
great Convents of Clermont-Ferrand, and Tulle, and, in 1633, came 
to the town of Beaulieu to establish a house of her Order. Remain- 
ing but six months, she left it in a most prosperous condition, in 
which it continued until the great Revolution. This was the Mother 
house of Ma Mere Stanislaus, and many a recreation hour has been 
full of deepest interest, to both novices and pupils, by her recital 
of thrilling events through which the religious passed, during that 
dreadful Reign of Terror ! 

We have thus briefly traced the history of the two Ursuline 
houses, Boulogne and Beaulieu, which are so nearly connected with 
our own ; while the limits of the present sketch will not permit us 
to take a broader view of the establishment of hundreds of Ursuline 
Convents throughout Europe that stood as fortresses of faith, to send 
forth armies of disciplined and well tried forces against the foes of 
religion ; to face and turn back the scoffing crowds of infidels that 
followed in the wake of the religious and political principles of 
Luther. 

Not only in Europe do we claim for the Ursulines the proud 
privilege of being the pioneers of the modern education of woman, . 
but we make bold to assert their claim to this distinction in other 
lands, — even in this, our broad continent of the Western World. Had 
not France been too busy in humbling the pride of Austria, and in 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 21 

keeping in check her powerful neighbors of Germany and Spain, 
she would probably have had a greater share in the colonization of 
the New World than fell to her lot, during the long and absolute 
sway of Louis XIV. But as soon as she had gained a firm foothold 
on Western shores, we meet devoted Ursulines following up her con- 
quest of lands and territory with their never-resting warfare for the 
conquest of souls. 

It is thus that we find the fifth distinguished Ursuline of our group, 
Venerable Mother Mary of the Incarnation, crossing the Atlantic 
as early as 1639 — ^j^^^ nineteen years after the "Mayflower" had 
borne its precious burden over the pathless waters — to teach the 
early French settlers of Canada, and the Huron, Algonquin and 
Iroquois, the blessed truths of faith, and secular science as well. 
And it may be looked upon as a curious coincidence that, in the 
year 1638, when the Reverend John Harvard, in the infant colony 
of Massachusetts, first made possible, by his donation of seven 
hundred pounds, the institution which is now the pride and boast of 
New England, Mother Mary of the Incarnation, in her happy con- 
vent, in Tours, was daily longing and praying for the means by 
which she could realize her own cherished desire of carrying the 
blessings of education to the French colony of Canada ; so that we 
may consider the founding of Harvard and of the Ursuline schools 
of Quebec as contemporary, and the first institutions of learning 
on the Continent, in the territory north of Mexico. 

God heard the prayers of Mother Mary. He could not turn a 
deaf ear to the earnest petitions of that ardor, born of the fire 
which He Himself had come upon earth to enkindle ; and, whilst 
He filled her own apostolic soul with love for the dark-eyed children 
of the far-oflf forests of Canada, He gave to another noble daughter 
of France the desire to use her immense fortune in lighting up 
these same dark forests with the sunbeam of heavenly truth, — the 



21 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

shining of the Sun of Justice. Madeleine de Chauvigny lived in 
beautiful Normandy, and heard much of Canada ; for her fair land 
had sent many brave sons and daughters to battle with the hard- 
ships of the young French colony. The Relations of the Jesuit 
Fathers, recounting the wonders they were accomplishing in the 
missions already established, fired her zeal, and after the death of 
her husband, which left her the freedom, denied her by her father, 
of following a religious vocation, she made a vow to devote her 
wealth to the founding of a house of education in Canada. But 
where should she find a religious who would carry out for her this 
labor of love? Naturally, she turned to the Ursulines, and, address- 
ing herself to the Jesuit, Father Poncet, who was about leaving 
France for the missions in New France, what was her surprise to 
learn from him that Heaven had already provided for it, and that 
she would find at Tours an Ursuline nun. Mother Mary of the In- 
carnation, who burned with the desire of consecrating her life to 
this divine work in what was, to her zeal, the land of promise. 
These holy souls soon knew and loved each other, and, securing 
the aid of another sister at Tours, and two others of the Convent of 
Dieppe, they sailed for Canada, on the 4th of May, 1639. 

We shall not follow them to note the events of their tempestu- 
ous voyage of three months, their disembarkation at Tadoussac, the 
only station for French vessels, where, says Mother Mary of 
the Incarnation, "We were full of joy at meeting several of the 
Indians whom we had come to instruct. Our dress filled them with 
surprise, and when told that we were daughters of great chiefs, 
who had left our homes and kindred, and beautiful France, for love 
of them and their children, so that we might teach them all about 
the Great Spirit, they were ravished with astonishment, and, that 
they might keep in view of us, walked along the bank of the river, 
never losing sight of our vessel, until we landed at Quebec." We 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 23 

leave them, as their pious annalist tells us, "in a transport of joy 
as they kissed the shores of that land which had been the object of 
their desires, surrounded by the Governor, the Chevalier de Mont- 
magny, the military force of the garrison, and all the inhabitants 
of Quebec, who rend the air with redoubled acclamations." 

These were the first Ursulines who pressed foot on the soil of 
America, and for two hundred and fifty years their successors have 
stood in the front ranks of education in Canada, and have thrown 
not a little of their spirit and influence into many of the neighbor- 
ing states of the Union, whose daughters have been placed under 
their instruction. With a generosity springing from zeal, they have 
shown themselves ever ready to help the needy convents of Ursu- 
lines in the United States, and thus we find them coming to the 
aid of their sisters in New Orleans, when the convent, founded there 
in 1727, appealed to them for aid. Not less willingly did they open 
their doors to the homeless religious of the ill - fated Convent of 
Charlestown, burned, in a moment of fanatical fury, by a New Eng- 
land mob in 1839. 

The third colony of Ursulines in this country was planted in 
New York in 181 2; but as the terms of the contract made with 
Revernd Father Kohlman, S. J., at whose invitation they undertook 
the mission, stated expressly that they would return to their home 
in the Convent of Cork, if no subjects presented themselves in three 
years, they remained only until 1815. Of their brief labors we 
know little, but that they left undying recollections of their virtues 
and zeal amongst the little flock they instructed, is evident from the 
fact which we extract from a letter received, under date of December 
7th, 1 89 1, from the late Doctor John Gilmary Shea, author of " His- 
tory of the Catholic Church in the United States." He says, in his 
letter to the Mother Superior of *' Brown County," in thanking her 
for some volumes necessary for the prosecution of his work, loaned 



.... 



24 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

him from the convent library, *'We are now near the close of the 
century, and my thoughts go back to the time when my dear 
mother was a pupil of the daughters of St. Angela Merici, as long 
as the Ursuline convent was maintained in New York. From her, 
I inherit a love for your Order, and now the love is blended with a 
sense of deep and heartfelt gratitude. Advancing in years, never 
strong or vigorous, I feel all the more, the acts of kindness that I 
receive. I would readily visit your famous convent, but my health 
is a wreck, travel impossible, and my days are numbered." 

The fourth house was that of Boston, founded under the saintly 
Bishop De Cheverus in 1818, and ending in the sad tragedy which 
will ever remain a blot on the fair escutcheon of the State of Mass- 
achusetts. But as the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church, 
let us hope that the bountiful harvest that Catholicism has since 
reaped in that venerable State, may be in a measure traced to the 
sufferings and sacrifices of this devoted band of Ursulines. 

The fifth colony came over from the Ursuline Convent of Cork, 
in 1834, at the solicitation of Bishop England, of Charleston, South 
Carolina, and settled in that city. Upon the death of Bishop Eng- 
land, the religious left Charleston, and after some years of residence 
in Covington and Cincinnati, they disbanded, joining various houses 
of the Order in Ireland and the United States, until 1857, when they 
again opened a house in Columbia, South Carolina, under the patron- 
age of Bishop Lynch. 

From this rapid survey of the spread of our Order, in which the 
salient points are the foundations of Boulogne and Beaulieu, showing 
how nearly they sprang from the trunk of the parent tree, planted by 
St. Angela, we come to that which most interests our readers, the 
foundation of the sixth colony of Ursulines in the Western World ; a 
colony planted in one of the counties bordering on the banks of the 
great Ohio river, from which the convent has so taken its name as to 




MOST REV. ARCHBISHOP PURCELL. 1859. 



FROM LITHOGRAPH PUBLISHED BY 
JOHN M. CLOUGH, CIN. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 25 

be familiarly known as "Brown County." Brown County! The very 
name brings back to the breasts of its pupils a throng of blessed 
memories, and makes the heart to beat with an ever-deepening pulse 
of gratitude that the days of their young lives were passed in the 
midst of its green woodlands, and their young hearts taught to love 
God by the fervent words and potent examples of those who had 
come from fairer lands and sunnier climes, to open for them the 
blessed secrets of faith and hope and love ! 

But our readers will, no doubt, impatiently ask, *'How did the 
foundation come about? What were the steps that led up to it?" 

The annalists of Boulogne tell us that, in 1839, Mgr. Purcell, 
Bishop of Cincinnati, in traveling from London to Boulogne, took 
charge of two young ladies who were to enter this famous school of 
the Ursulines as boarders. His Lordship was most hospitably enter- 
tained by the Mother Superior, who invited him to stay with M. I'abbe 
Rappe, their good chaplain. This event, trivial as it may seem, was 
the means destined by the providence of God to give three saintly 
bishops to the hierarchy of the Church in the United States, a band 
of devoted missionary priests to the Church in Ohio, and two 
mother colonies of zealous Ursulines, that have since spread their 
branches far and wide over valley and mountain and plain of this 
great land. 

This visit of the young, enthusiastic pioneer Bishop of the West, 
was most fruitful in results to his diocese, and to religion in general ; 
he was received on the Continent, as well as at his own home 
in Ireland, with most distinguished honors. It was his first visit 
ad limina, and the reigning Pontiff, Gregory XVI., showed the dis- 
tinguished American Bishop not only many marks of paternal esteem, 
but gave practical aid to his needy diocese. Many pleasant reminis- 
cences of this visit lingered in the mind of our beloved Archbishop, 
even to the last days of his life, and it was his wont to tell how. 



26 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

being in Rome during Holy Week, His Holiness invited him to assist 
on Maunday Thursday in the washing of the feet of twelve poor pil- 
grims, a ceremony which the Church uses on that day, to commemo- 
rate the washing of the feet of the twelve by our Divine Lord on 
the night before His crucifixion. With his inimitable power of 
description, he would tell how the Holy Father, on bended knees, 
washed and reverently kissed the feet of the poor men before him, 
whilst he, the Bishop, held the basin of water, and the King of 
Spain carried the towels for this service. In the Catholic Telegraph, 
of August 22, 1839, ^^ ^^^ ^^^ following: 

From the Ami de la Religion, June 13. — ** M. Purcell, Bishop 
of Cincinnati, who came last year to Europe for the interest of his 
diocese, is about to quit Paris, to embark soon at Havre on his return 
to America. This Prelate has made, the past winter, a journey to 
Munich and Vienna, where the Leopoldine Institute continues to feel 
an interest in his mission. He has also visited Rome, and passed some 
time in that Capital. He had, while there, frequent interviews with 
the Cardinal Prefect of the Propaganda, and the Prelate Secretary of 
the Congregation, communicating on the present state of religion in 
America, and the hopes which it is permitted to entertain of it for the 
future. M. Purcell has had frequent audiences with the Holy Father, 
who has testified his esteem by many marks of his kindness. Since 
his return to Paris, this Prelate has undertaken with great kindness to 
officiate for the Archbishop, who is not yet in a state to visit the par- 
ishes to administer Confirmation. The Bishop of Cincinnati has 
administered this sacrament at St. Ambrose de Pepin Court, at St. 
Gervaise, at St. Etienne-du-Mont, and at St. Jacques-du-Haut-Bas. He 
has also visited with the same object several communities and estab- 
lishments. The prelate closed the exercises of the Month of Mary at 
St. Germaine-des-Pres, He has given, some days ago. Confirmation 
in some parishes at St. Denis, at Montmartre, at Belleville, etc. It is 
thus that he has been anxious to render to the diocese of Paris, in 
passing, all the services which were in his power. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 27 

The voyage of that Prelate has not been unfruitful to his own 
diocese. He returns to America with eight new missionaries willing 
to consecrate themselves to the exercise of the ministry in this far 
distant land. This re-inforcement will be very acceptable to a vast 
diocese, which, at present, has no more than twenty-eight priests, and 
where the Catholics are disseminated widely and sparsely." 

One of the eight missionaries mentioned has left the story of their 
coming to America, told in his own quaint way, in the columns of 
the official organ of his diocese, The Colorado Catholic^ from which 
we quote as follows : 

"In the fall of 1838, the young Bishop of Cincinnati, Right Rev- 
erend J. B. Purcell, made his first visit to Rome, and from Paris 
wrote to Father Confe, then Superior of the Seminary of Morit-Fer- 
rand, diocese of Clermont, to procure for him some missionaries for 
his new diocese. Father Lamy and Father Macheboeuf, having 
several times expressed a desire to go on a foreign mission, were 
notified to be ready to go to Cincinnati, the following spring, with 
Bishop Purcell. In the meantime three more priests, who were already 
disposed to offer their services to the zealous Bishop, were notified to 
accompany them. They were the saintly Father Claude Gacon, the 
zealous Father Cheymol, who succeeded him as chaplain, and the 
good Father NavaiTon, who established a mission in Clermont County, 
and died pastor of the parish he had so long fathered. The holy 
Bishop Flaget, one of the first bishops of the West, Bishop Purcell, 
Father McGill (subsequently Bishop of Richmond), three priests for 
other dioceses, and two sisters, made altogether fifteen in the party. 
They sailed from Havre on the 7th of May, 1839, ^^ ^ sailing packet, 
and after a tedious voyage of forty-four days, they landed in New 
York City, and resumed their journey to Cincinnati by canal boat and 
coach, arriving on the octave of the Assumption. After a few days 
of rest, they received their appointments. Father Lamy as pastor of 
Danville, in Knox County, a large settlement of American Catholics, 
emigrants from Maryland." 



28 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

But we can not refrain from giving our readers an evidence of 
the simple piety, strong faith, and the beautiful affection that bound 
them to their new Bishop, and his cordial, active sympathy with them 
in the great labor and hardships they were about to undertake 
for the love of souls. This is shown in the subjoined cut — the pact 
which they made with each other before separating for their respec- 
tive missions. How beautiful this touching example of the com- 
munion of saints ! They have all entered into the communion 
which is eternal, and, we humbly trust, are now all in possession 
of the ecstatic joys which God has prepared for those who love Him. 

But to Father Macheboeuf, more than to any one else, the 
zealous pastor of four or five counties in the northwest of the state, 
is due the immediate undertaking of bringing the Ursulines from 
France. All our readers who recall the bright recreation days, 
when this energetic Bishop would delight them for hours by the 
recital of many of the interesting incidents of his checkered mis- 
sionary life, will be charmed to find that the good Bishop has himself 
left a record of this event in his own words. Just a few months 
before his death he began a series of communications to the official 
newspaper of his diocese. The Colorado Catholic^ and we find, under 
date of April 13, 1889, ^^^ facts given so characteristically in his 
own words that we can not forbear to quote them. He begins by 
speaking of his 

First Visit to Europe. 

" In the fall of 1843 Father Macheboeuf received the sad news of 
his father's death, and being the oldest of the family, the request was 
sent to him by brother and sister and other relations to go back to France 
to assist in regulating the affairs of the family. Although it would have 
been a great satisfaction under those circumstances to go and give them 
some consolation, knowing that the good Bishop Purcell had no other 
priest to take charge of the new parish at Sandusky, he replied that he 
could not leave so many missions without a priest. But his relations 



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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 29 

kept writing and insisting upon his going, and as an inducement sent 
him the means for his travehng expenses. Father Macheboeuf would 
not answer without first consuhing his bishop, who decided that he 
should go, not only for the family affairs, but in the interests of his 
mission and of the diocese. He told Father Macheboeuf that some good 
friends had donated two fine locations for a large academy, and that he 
did not know where he could find in those early days a sufficient number 
of competent religious to establish a young ladies' academy, and he had 
to get them from Europe. The Bishop added that he needed priests 
or students, sacred vessels and vestments for the missions, that being 
young and active he should have to attend to these important mes- 
sages. He gave Father Macheboeuf a good letter of introduction and 
recommendation to some friends in Europe, and full power and authority 
to make the necessary arrangements for a good colony of religious 
students aud priests. The Bishop offered to pay his traveling expenses, 
which kind offer was declined, as he then had sufficient means for the 
journey. 

The Bishop appointed the zealous and strong Father Rappe, then 
pastor of Toledo, to take charge of Sandusky during the absence of 
the Pastor, and after a good and hearty blessing from the Bishop, 
who had always been a father to him, returned to his parish and as 
soon as practicable, went to pay a visit to his neighbor. Father Rappe. 
He was astonished to hear that Father Macheboeuf was going to 
Europe, but after reffection agreed to make arrangements to say Mass 
on Sunday in the principal towns of the two parishes of Toledo and 
Sandusky, and to visit the other missions during the week. Father 
Rappe having been for several years chaplain of the magnificent 
Convent and Academy of Boulogne-sur-mer, France, not far from the 
town which had been admitted and handed down by tradition as the 
birthplace of St. Patrick, wrote a long letter to the good Mother 
Ste. Ursule, Superior of the Ursuline Academy, recommending to her 
the first establishment of their Order in Ohio He also gave a few 
lines of introduction to Reverend Father Caron, la creme de ses amis, 
the cream of his friends, who came to America after Father Rappe 
had been appointed the first bishop of Cleveland, was appointed 
Professor, Superior of the Ecclesiastical Seminary, and later on Pastor 



30 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

of Sandusky, after Father Macheboeuf had gone with Bishop Lamy 
as Vicar General of Santa Fe, and the same Father Caron was 
brought back to Cleveland as Vicar General of the diocese, and died 
there, beloved and regretted by all. After many other pleasant 
messages of Father Rappe for his friends in Boulogne - sur - mer. 
Father Macheboeuf made arrangements to leave for Europe, July 1844. 

As soon as he had landed, he went directly to Boulogne and 
asked the hospitality of the worthy successor of Father Rappe, the 
Chaplain of the Academy, and following the wise principle not to put 
off until to-morrow what can be done to-day, he lost no time in going 
at once to the academy, where the good nuns were enjoying a short 
recreation after their hard day's work. Being introduced by the 
Chaplain, as a friend and neighbor of the beloved Father Rappe, was 
the best recommendation for the traveler. He was immediately wel- 
comed by the venerable Mother Superior. First, the letter of Bishop 
Purcell, who visited the institution in the fall of 1838, on his way to 
Rome ; next, the letter of recommendation to Father Rappe, were 
more than sufficient to inspire confidence in the appeal which the 
American traveler was intending to make. But having to answer so 
many questions of the Mother and others about Bishop Purcell and 
Father Rappe, left him no time to touch the main question, and, after 
he had accepted the kind invitation of the Mother to say next 
morning the Mass of the community, and partaken of the refresh- 
ments they did not fail to offer to their visitors, both returned to the 
residence of the Chaplain. Although it was late, they could not retire 
without giving to the good Chaplain and old friend of Father Rappe, 
the special information which his friendship and zeal for the glory of 
God required, about the progress of our Holy Religion in the new 
diocese of Cincinnati, the success of Father Rappe, and his proficiency 
in the English language, which, owing to his forty years of age, was 
rather slow, but he was amused when told that when Father Rappe 
was short of English words, he did not hesitate to throw in a French 
word to fill up the vacancy. 

According to the previous arrangements we were in good time at 
the beautiful chapel of the vast establishment. Immediately after the 
two Masses and the sweet and holy breakfast which was served to 




RT. REV. P. J. MACHEBOEUF, D. D. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



31 



them, they all retired to the private parlor of the Mother Superior, 
who, in company with the members of her Council, was anxious to 
know the plan of the American institution, the number of ladies 
required, etc. Father Macheboeuf commenced by describing the 
beauty and extent of the location offered in Brown County, containing 
three hundred acres of land ; the fine springs of water, the beautiful 
groves of different kinds of trees, the high location for the building of 
the convent and academy. All were delighted with the fine pros- 
pects, and already saw in imagination the grand and stately buildings 
which have since been erected. The Mother Superior did not 
hesitate to answer that she was willing to send some few competent 
nuns for the proposed foundation, but could not tell at once how 
many she could spare, that she required four or five days to consult 
her Council and communicate to other communities of the same Order 
for the changes that the colony would cause. Then the good Chap- 
lain proposed a trip to London while the sisters would make their 
arrangements, and remarked that many of the parents of the English 
young ladies who were educated at the academy, had invited him 
to go and pay them a visit, and that he could not accept their 
kind invitation, for the reason that he did not speak English, but 
now that he had an interpreter, he was willing to go with him and 
pay all expenses. It was the first visit of both to the immense city of 
London, and the Pastor of Sandusky was as well pleased with the 
visit as the Chaplain of the Ursuline Academy of Boulogne-sur-mer." 





CHAPTER III. 



FROM BEAULIEU AND BOULOGNE TO CINCINNATI. 



6y 

>^ATHER Macheboeuf's narrative has told us that he 
sailed for France, July 1844, charged by Bishop 
Purcell to procure a colony of Ursulines for his 
diocese. His home not being far from Beaulieu, in 
the diocese of Tulle, he was not without some 
acquaintance there. Since the reestablishment of 
this house after the Revolution, it had met with 
many reverses and had lately lost many sisters by 
death, so that the remaining members of the little 
community, saddened and discouraged by these 
circumstances, were on the point of disbanding, to seek homes in 
other convents of the Order. But the Heavenly Father in whom 
they put their trust, and the Blessed Mother who watched so tenderly 

over these children of her prediliction, had other fields for the eager 

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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 33 

laborers, richer in harvest than the vine-clad slopes of their own 
sunny France, and to these they are now to direct their steps. 
They hear that application for a foundation of Ursulines in the 
United States has been made to the Convent of Boulogne-sur-mer, 
and Mother St. Theresa, Superior of Beaulieu, writes to Mother 
St. Ursula, of Boulogne, in August, 1844, to ascertain if what they 
hear be true. If such be the case, would she be willing to receive 
several sisters from Beaulieu, who feel a divine call to the missions 
of America? But these are the days of the diligence^ and as a 
matter of so much importance required much balancing and con- 
sidering on the part of the good Mother Superior and community 
of Boulogne, we find that no reply reached our good sisters of 
Beaulieu until the loth of September. Then it was not encouraging, 
for Mother St. Ursula, of Boulogne, feared that they would be 
unable to accept the foundation proposed by M. Macheboeuf, 
although it was with much regret that she refused, for it seemed 
to hold within itself every element of success, and to promise a 
rich harvest for God's glory and the good of imperishable souls. 
She sent at the same time a small map of the State of Ohio. 

The Superior of the Ursulines of Beaulieu, M. Graviche, began 
at this time a correspondence with M. Macheboeuf relative to the 
proposed foundation, which continued almost daily until the begin- 
ning of January, 1845. On the tenth of this month, M. Macheboeuf 
determined to visit Beaulieu in person, confident that this would be 
a necessary step to surmount all the difficulties blocking up the 
way of his success. And, indeed, it required nothing less than the 
restless zeal of this ardent missionary — his indomitable will shown 
in its utmost strength during his ten days' visit in the town — 
to accomplish his purpose of taking these good sisters from the 
friends who so opposed the disestablishment of the Convent. 

On the 20th of January, Messrs. Graviche and Macheboeuf set 



34 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

out for Tulle, to secure the approval of Mgr. Bertaud, the good 
Bishop, and to request letters of obedience from him, allowing the 
sisters to depart. These were obtained, although his Lordship was 
somewhat surprised at the undertaking, and loth to give his consent. 

On the return of the reverend gentleman, the day of departure 
was fixed for the ist of March, and the Superiors of Beaulieu again 
appealed to those of Boulogne, asking them for two English sisters 
to aid them in the proposed foundation ; one, as Mother Superior, 
the other as Directress of the school. M. Macheboeuf then leaves 
for Bordeaux, to make preparatory arrangements toward embarkation. 

Having arrived at such important decisions, the sisters thought 
it their duty to inform the general public, and their relatives, of 
their intended departure. We can imagine that it required no tele- 
phonic communication to spread the news in this little provin- 
cial French town, — it went like wildfire, from mouth to mouth, 
and soon not only the parlors of the Convent were thronged with 
anxious friends, but a great crowd gathered around the walls 
outside to learn if the startling report were true. They could not 
realize, or believe, that they were to lose the sisters whom they 
loved so dearly, and, with tears, their pupils and the children of 
their free schools, supplicated them not to leave. Other friends, 
more bold in their opposition, determined to use the persuasion of 
the civil law for this end, and before the close of the day, the 
good nuns found the Sub-Prefect of the Department, the Mayor and 
the Municipal Council in a body before their doors, demanding 
permission to enter. They were politely received by the community, 
who assembled in the parlors to meet them, and they used every 
promise of support and encouragement on their part to induce the 
good nuns to change their resolution of attempting what, to them, 
seemed a most hazardous enterprise. But nothing could shake the 
constancy of those otherwise timid religious, for, with a spirit of 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 35 

faith, they believed that the opposition of man would but prove that 
the undertaking was blessed by God. 

Some of the community, who at first supported the project, 
weakened under the opposition, and added each day their share 
to the blame received in every direction, and to the burden 
already too heavy for the zealous missionaries to bear. The 
relatives of some applied to Mgr. Bertaud, the Bishop of Tulle, 
who, feeling obliged to listen to their demands, retracted the gen- 
eral permission given to the community, and they found their 
number — at first fourteen — reduced to eight. Add to this the uncer- 
tainty of mind, which was most harrassing, when day after day 
passed without a decisive answer from Boulogne, as to whether 
that community could furnish the English sisters, absolutely neces- 
sary to the project under any circumstances. 

'' In all these trials," say the cherished chroniclers of these early 
days, "we addressed ourselves to Mary, our good Mother, and our 
prayers were not in vain." On the 28th of February came a letter 
from Boulogne, lighting up their hearts like a bow of promise, a 
pledge that these darkest days were past, never to return ; for it 
bore the good news that the Cardinal Bishop of Arras was not 
unfavorable to the wishes of that community, and, in consequence, 
they would send Mother Julia Chatfield as Superior of that little 
colony ; an efficient teacher, a novice of Irish birth, Sister Hyacinthe 
EifFe ; while a young English lady, Miss Matilda Dunn, if her health 
permitted, would join them as a postulant. After some business 
preliminaries had been discussed between the two communities, the 
final acceptance of terms was agreed upon by letter from Boulogne, 
March loth, and nothing now remained but to make final arrange- 
ments for departure. 

How to get certain sisters of the number out of the city with- 
out rousing too much feeling on the part of their relatives and 



36 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

the townsmen, seemed a problem hard to solve; but M. Graviche, 
the Superior, hit upon a solution as novel as it was ingenious. On 
the 7th of April, M. Graviche returned from Tulle after his last 
audience with Mgr. Bertaud ; knowing that the family of Mother 
Stanislaus would use every endeavor to prevent her from leaving the 
town, he decided that she, in company with Sister Bernard, a lay- 
sister, should steal away thai night, both disguised as market women, 
make their way outside the city, where a friend would conduct 
them on foot to " a neighboring hamlet, St. Cere, where they 
would pass the night with an aunt of one of the sisters, who was in 
the plot ; thence to Aurillac and Paris, where they would await the 
others of the missionary band. These would leave Beaulieu one 
week later, April 15th, and after a few days' stay in the Capital, 
all would proceed to Havre, there to meet Mother Julia of the 
Assumption, Sister Hyacinthe, and Miss Dunn, and sail for New 
York, on May 4th. 

Accordingly, Mother Stanislaus, with her peasant dress, j^etrousse, 
as was the custom, her feet encased in sabots, or wooden shoes of 
the peasantry, now preserved as a relic of this dramatic little incident, 
found herself on the bridge crossing the Dordogne at six o'clock that 
evening, happy to escape the guards that had been posted at the 
convent gate . for several weeks. Good Sister Bernard was to follow 
her immediately, but, as will happen in such cases, the crowds on 
the streets seemed to be passing in a constant stream, and the good 
soul reached Mother Stanislaus only after an hour's waiting on the 
outskirts of the town. Filled with ever-increasing fears, they prayed 
and watched for the guide, — an estimable man, M. Puisjallon, a 
relative of one of the sisters, — who was to conduct them to the 
neighboring hamlet of St. Cere. How intense the eagerness with 
which they hailed his coming may be imagined, but as he was 
burdened with a bundle containing the religious dress of the two 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 37 

sisters, he seemed to them to walk with unsupportable slowness. 
Nor was he moved by the anxiety that lent swiftness to their 
steps ; but they did, at length, reach the little village of Bretenour, 
one league from Beaulieu. Here another difficulty confronted them. 
The keeper of the gate over the bridge was fast asleep, and despite 
their knocking and cries, full fifteen minutes passed before they 
could rouse him from his slumber to open the gates closed upon 
them. Any of our elderly readers who can recall youthful experi- 
ences of waiting at night before a country toll-gate for the keeper 
to saunter sleepily out from his bed, can partially appreciate the 
feelings of our dear pedestrians on this trying occasion 1 

But they have passed the village of Bretenour, and, as 
they have three leagues to walk before they reach St. Cere, they 
know that midnight will close round them soon, and only the wee, 
sma' hours of another day see them at their journey's end. Though 
trembling with anxiety, they kneel to recite their prescribed prayers 
for the night, under the starlit canopy of the growing darkness, 
adding the chaplet to these devotions, begging their dear Mother, 
on bended knee, to assist and direct them on their way. Filled 
with that renewed strength that comes from confidence in Mary, 
they rise, give a last glance over the landscape, to the winding Dor- 
dogne, — fast growing like a thread of silver behind them, — and begin 
again their weary journey. They had not proceeded far when they 
met a foot - traveler whom they recognized as belonging to the town 
of Beaulieu, and who also recognized them, though he did not speak. 

But the humble dwellings of St. Cere are coming in sight, and 
our pilgrims know nothing of the whereabouts of the house that is to 
serve as their refuge, except that in it lives Madame Bennet. The 
good villagers are all in their beds, for it is now one o'clock in the 
morning ; no doors are open to them except those of the auberge^ or 
country inn. But the good keeper knows nothing, not even the name 



38 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

of the humble family they are seeking. They stand in the street, 
humbly invoking Divine Providence to send some one to their aid, 
when they see two men going toward the outskirts of the village. 
They follow their footsteps, feeling that they will lead them to some 
place of refuge, and before very long, come to a poor dwelling, which 
they find upon inquiry to be the goal so long sought, — the house of 
Madame Bennet. 

Receiving all the welcome which her modest home affords, 
they seek the rest so much needed, after their weary walk of four 
leagues distance, during which they had not stopped, except the 
few moments spent in prayer, since the early hour of six o'clock. 
But they slept well during these few hours, and, after changing their 
costume de paysanne for a secular dress more in keeping with their 
state, they began their journey toward Aurillac, which was yet three 
leagues distant. 

Here they were received at the Convent of the Sisters of St. 
Vincent de Paul with all the tenderness that marks the Sister 
of Charity wherever found, and here they put on again, with inex- 
pressible joy, the religious habit which they had been obliged to lay 
aside in their flight. Their hearts, too, ever turned to those of their 
anxious sisters whom they had left in Beaulieu, and, before leaving 
Aurillac, they sent a few words assuring them of their safety and 
their unshaken confidence in God. The good Sister Superior accom- 
panied them to the office where they were to procure passage in 
the diligence for Clermont. Here they made no stay, as they were 
anxious to press forward to Paris, where they expected to meet the 
indefatigable M. Macheboeuf. On arriving at the Capital, they 
hastened at once to the House of Foreign Missions, where he was 
lodging, but what was the dismay of our poor tired voyagers to learn 
that he had been absent from the city for more than a week ! Alone 
in the great city, what were they to do? What convent would receive 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 39 

two unknown, unrecommended religious? It was Sunday morning, 
too, and they had not yet heard Mass. They appHed to the Con- 
vent of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, but, engaged in the 
exercises of their annual retreat, four or five hundred in number, 
they could not receive them. By turn, they stood humbly asking 
for shelter at the house of Les Dames Noires, and the Sisters of 
St. Thomas of Aquin. With these, they heard Mass, but in the 
end, they felt constrained to lodge at the Hotel of Foreign Mis- 
sions, where they resolved to await the return of M. Macheboeuf. 
Here they lodged in a small room and took their frugal meal, 
not alone to economize their slender means, but in the spirit of that 
severe poverty which they must expect to endure in their future 
work. One little incident gave some consolation to our travelers, 
and provided them an unexpected friend, — at this time so much 
needed. In the diligence which brought them from Clermont to 
Paris, they had traveled with a priest who, like themselves, was 
destined for the American Missions, but, as a matter of prudence, 
neither party spoke to the other of this fact. What was their sur- 
prise and delight to hear the reverend gentleman, M. Peudeprat, 
ask, as they did, for M. Macheboeuf, when they arrived at the 
House of Foreign Missions I He proved of much help to them, 
not only during their stay in the city, awaiting M. Macheboeuf, 
but on the whole journey, which he made with them as far as 
Cincinnati. 

While our good Mother Stanislaus and Sister Bernard are wait- 
ing in Paris, let us go back to those whom they left with sad- 
dened hearts in Beaulieu, and watch the incidents of their departiu^e 
and arrival in the Capital. The foot -traveler whom Mother Stan- 
islaus and Sister Bernard encountered, in their flight to St. Cere, had 
recognized them, and, on reaching Beaulieu, spread the news of 
their departure. The excited inhabitants of the little town were 



40 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

filled with indignation, but they at last began to realize that oppo- 
sition was useless, and that they could do nothing but yield with 
as much good grace as possible to the strong determination of M. 
Macheboeuf and the inflexible purpose of the religious. 

When that zealous Ohio missionary left Paris, the week before 
the coming of Mother Stanislaus, he directed his steps toward 
Tulle, with the intention of making a last effort toward securing 
the aid of some good priests of that neighborhood for the diocese 
of Cincinnati. He also hoped to induce the good Bishop Bertaud 
to keep to his first promise of allowing any of the community of 
Beaulieu to join the foundation who wished to do so. Not finding 
the Bishop at home, he journeyed six long leagues, and threw 
himself at his Lordship's feet, to make this last request. But it 
was useless, and he found himself again in Tulle with his mission 
unsuccessful. Here he met M. Graviche, and it was finally deter- 
mined to fix the date of departure from Beaulieu on April 15th. 
The funds for the journey of the party were deposited in a 
bank at Tulle, subject to the order of the sisters on their arrival 
in Paris, and it was also determined upon at this time, that they 
should sail from Havre for New York, and not from Bordeaux for 
New Orleans, as first proposed. M. Graviche wrote these instruc- 
tions to the sisters, but they would have found it impossible to 
carry them out, had he not himself arrived from Tulle on the 14th 
to aid them in facing the difliculties which surrounded them on 
every side, — the opposition of a portion of the community, and the 
almost forcible resistance of members of their families. But the 
appearance of their good Superior at this moment gave reassurance 
to their agitated minds, and he told them he would make all 
arrangements for their depaiixire at an early hour on the follow- 
ing morning. Requiring the attendance of a notary were many 
matters of business which admitted of no delay, so that our poor 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 4 1 

sisters were up until a late hour of the night. As early as four 
o'clock in the morning, M. Graviche appeared, to give the details 
of their departure, and, glad to escape the sad leave-taking which 
followed, he awaited them at their carriage, which had been driven 
to the back gate to avoid the crowd beginning to assemble. 

The last tender adieus are spoken ; friends clasp each other in 
fondest embrace for the last time on earth, and in a moment these 
six -brave souls are hurrying northward to the great Ocean which 
still separates them from the land of their future labors. At seven 
o'clock they reach Meyssac, three leagues from Beaulieu, from 
which fact we may infer that their horses were not of the fastest 
speed, nor their carriage the lightest. Whilst giving the poor ani- 
mals some few moments' rest, our sisters sought the house of the 
Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, where they assisted at a part of 
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. With renewed strength they set 
out again at eight o'clock on their journey to Brive, the next town 
of importance. Arriving here about two o'clock, to their great 
joy they found M. Macheboeuf awaiting them. At five o'clock they 
were in the diligence for Paris, and, as it was rather crowded, M. 
Macheboeuf, who had been accustomed for some years to more incon- 
venient modes of transfer than even the Western stage coach, rode 
for the next thirty leagues in the banquette. Wednesday night, 
Thursday night, Friday, are passed in the tiresome diligence^ until 
late Friday evening they reach Paris. M. Macheboeuf procured 
two rooms in the Hotel de Cadran, and, promising to call for them 
early Saturday morning, to accompany them to the Church of 
Notre Dame, he took leave, for his lodgings at the Hotel of For- 
eign Missions. 

Early the following morning, about seven o'clock, true to his 
promise, comes M. Macheboeuf, accompanied by Sisters Stanislaus 
and Bernard. What a joyful meeting of these tried and holy souls ! 



42 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

For some moments not a word was uttered, but their hearts went 
out in gratitude to God that He had so far sustained them through 
all trials — and in the firm confidence that He would be their strength 
in the days to come. Directing their steps to the Church of Notre 
Dame, there, before the altar of their Mother Immaculate, they 
passed several hours in prayer, heard several Masses and had the 
happiness of receiving Holy Communion at the hands of Rev. M. 
Desgenettes, the Director General of the Arch Confraternity of the 
Immaculate Heart of Mary. Here they also enrolled the little 
community of missionaries, and all its future members, in the Arch 
Confraternity, and promised to give to their future house the title 
of " Convent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary." Of this great 
privilege we are reminded each morning by the Hail Mary and 
the invocation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, said after Mass. 
After the honor of meeting M. Desgenettes in the sacristy, and 
recommending to the prayers of the Association their voyage and 
their coming labors, the remainder of the day was spent in making 
some purchases of vestments, etc., for the future use of their house, 
among which was one of gold cloth, still doing service in the 
convent chapel. They also visited the " Salles des Martyrs," in 
the Seminary of Foreign Missions, where they venerated the precious 
remains of the Chinese Martyrs, among them those of their neigh- 
boring townsman, the Venerable Pierre du Moulin Borie. They 
were shown them by his brother, who was preparing for the priest- 
hood and looking forward with holy joy to the day when he should 
preach the Word of God in the pagan country whose soil had 
been so lately watered by his brother's blood. 

But the time for their stay in Paris grows short, and on Sun- 
day, the 19th of April, we find them in Notre Dame des Victoires, 
hearing Mass and receiving Holy Communion for the last time at 
the altar of this noble monument of the devotion of the French 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 43 

people to the Blessed Mother of God. After a slight breakfast at 
a restaurant, our travelers took their seats in the diligence for 
Havre, where they arrived at eight o'clock in the evening. Here 
they were no longer amidst strangers, for the Ursulines of that city 
had been most cordial in offering them the hospitality of their 
convent, and the sisterly love with which they received them was 
a balm of consolation to their hearts, and made them forget for 
awhile the dangers, the trials, the sufferings of heart and soul that 
had been their daily portion for the last three months. Their sweet 
charity and union, their kind thoughtfulness in everything that could 
conduce to the pleasure and happiness of our sisters, filled them 
with a sense of deep gratitude, which neither time nor distance 
ever lessened, and which to-day is most vividly retained by those 
whom they did not fail to impress with a remembrance of their 
own sentiments of thankfulness. 

But we have come to one of the central points of our little 
history, and we beg our readers to go back with us to this beau- 
tiful Convent of Le Havre. While we roam through its blooming 
gardens and quiet halls, let us picture to ourselves the scene which 
occurred there just fifty years ago ! News has been received that 
in ten days, on the 30th of April, our good sisters of Beaulieu 
will be joined by their future Mother, Soeur de I'Assumption, after- 
wards lovingly known as Notre Mere. She will be accompanied, 
as before mentioned, by a novice. Sister Hyacinthe, and a 3^oung 
English lady. Miss Matilda Dunn, a postulant. Did a shadow of 
anxiety, floating like a summer cloud over a sunlit meadow, darken 
the souls of these two bands of Ursulines at the thought of this 
first meeting? Could they — strangers to each other — join their whole 
lives in one strong bond of labor and sisterly affection? Or was 
anxious fear smothered in their hearts, until it kindled into a flame 
of love, — of love for their future work, — of the young souls waiting 



44 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

in their Western home to be led to a knowledge of the Christian 
virtues that shone out in their daily life, and thus to a deeper, 
stronger love for our Blessed Lord? 

About eight o'clock in the evening, the Boulogne sisters were 
announced, accompanied by Mother St. Ursula, Superior of Bou- 
logne, and Mother St. Paul, Mistress of Novices in that commu- 
nity. For the first time, Notre Mere and Ma Mere Stanislaus 
stood face to face, and at once began the unbroken tie of friend- 
ship and religious love that bound them heart to heart in their 
life-long work. Our band of missionaries is now complete : Mother 
Julia Chatfield, Mother Stanislaus Laurier, Mothers St. Peter Andral, 
Augustine Bouret, and Angela Demotat, Sister Hyacinthe Eiffe and 
Miss Dunn, postulant, afterwards Sister Josephine, as choir sisters, 
with Sisters Martial, Mary, Bernard and Christine as lay sisters. 

It is, at last, determined by M. Macheboeuf that they shall 
take passage for New York on the vessel "Zurich," which would 
set sail in a very few days. These soon rolled around, and the 
ever memorable day, the 4th of May, Feast of St. Monica, brought 
the hour of parting. At the early hour of five o'clock, M. Mache- 
boeuf said Mass, at which they all received the Bread of the 
Strong. Whilst M. Peudeprat celebrated, our good sisters break- 
fasted, and spent a few moments in thanking their sisters of Havre 
for all their goodness in their behalf. Kneeling for the blessing 
of the good Mother Superior of Boulogne, accompanied by her 
and Mother St. Paul, they drove at seven o'clock to the pier, 
where they were to board the "Zurich." With eyes full of tears, 
yet with brave hearts, they gave the last embrace, stepped upon 
the deck of the vessel, and, after she had raised anchor, watched 
the carriage which held their dear Mothers until it was lost in the 
crowd. Soon the receding shores of la belle France^ which they 
loved so fondly, were lost in the blue distance, and at nine o'clock 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 45 

the vessel was in full sea. O all ye who have broken the cords 
that bind the human heart to the fatherland, and to the hearth of 
home ; who have looked for the last time into earnest eyes that 
have spoken motherly counsel and love — into the eyes that have been 
guiding stars in the darkness of the soul's night — embalm the sympa- 
thetic tear that rises in the. heart and set it as a precious pearl 
in the everlasting crown that wreathes the brow of those who have 
taught you unto justice ! 

The voyage was not without many stirring incidents which helped 
to vary the monotony of the twenty-nine days that the "Zurich" 
nobly breasted the waves. There were two severe storms during 
these four weeks, and her brave captain had to furl her sails and 
let her ride at the mercy of the tossing waves, while the prayers 
of anxious souls were poured out for her safety. But she bore a 
burden of noble hearts, — hearts that were precious to the Divine 
King who rules the storm and commands the sea, — whilst the land 
that their footsteps were to bless, daily drew the bark closer and 
closer to its shores. 

The joy of the timid little band of voyagers knew no bounds, 
save that of intensest gratitude to God, when their devoted guide, 
M. Macheboeuf, informed them that the good Protestant captain, 
with true American broad-mindedness, had placed no obstacle to 
his desire of offering Holy Sacrifice every morning. Nay, he had 
even offered him the use of some piece of furnitLU*e in the cabin 
that would serve as a support for his portable altar, and had 
desired the reverend gentleman to make known to all the passengers 
his perfect willingness that they should attend the offering of the 
Holy Sacrifice. Then they had the unexpected joy of having the 
Blessed Sacrament reserved ; of receiving the Sacrament of Penance 
weekly ; of wearing the religious habit, and of performing all the 
daily exercises as regularly as if they were in the midst of the dear 



46 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

sisters, who each day were further and further separated from them. 
All these blessings had been entirely unhoped for when they set sail; 
indeed, a generous sacrifice of them had already gone up to the 
Divine Master, as a part of the cross they had taken up, and their 
very unexpected and unmerited possession seemed to their hopeful 
hearts to presage still greater blessings from the Infinite love that 
followed them. 

The "Zurich" carried quite a number of passengers, and although 
few Catholics were among them, all vied with each other in the 
attention and respect paid to the sisters. Twice they begged the 
privilege of assisting with them at the Holy Sacrifice, and the zeal- 
ous M. Macheboeuf was not sorry of the opportunity thus presented 
to him of giving them some instruction on points of our holy faith. 
Among the Catholic passengers they counted a French merchant, 
from Lyons, doing business in New York, an American lady who 
had been sojourning some time in Paris, and who had with her an 
interesting little girl of six years, the mother of an Italian singer in 
one of the opera houses of New York, and a French modiste, who 
was coming to establish herself in business in the Empire City. 
There was also an American gentleman of a distinguished Louisiana 
family, returning from Italy with his young daughter, a lovely girl 
of sixteen years, and who, on account of a circumstance in her pre- 
vious history, was an object of special interest to our good religious. 

Mr. B , his daughter and young son, were returning from Italy, 

where the children had passed several months with their grand- 
mother, a most devout Catholic. She had begged the privilege of 
having her grandchildren with her, hoping that in that land of Cath- 
olic fervor they would be brought into the fold of the one true faith. 
Little Anna did not disappoint her hopes, and in a few months, con- 
vinced of the truth, she ardently sought instruction and admission 
to the holy sacrament of baptism. But the brother, who was at 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 47 

Rome, most watchful of his young sister, and under the influence of 
prejudices, not easily overcome, was not slow to inform his father of 
the change in his sister's religious views. The father, on his part, 
determined to save his child from a step which he believed to be 
ruinous, informed himself of her designs, and, without opposing them, 
allowed them to proceed so far, that Anna was on her way to church 
to be received, accompanied by her grandmother, when he stopped 
the carriage, and, taking her forcibly from the side of her distressed 
relative, carried her to a hotel and started immediately for his home 
in New Orleans. Judge, then, of his consternation when, coming 
on board the "Zurich," he found, among his fellow passengers, two 
priests end eleven religious ! Seized with fear, he asked an audience 
with M. Macheboeuf and the Mother Superior, and begged them with 
all the earnestness of his soul, not to speak of religion to his child. 
Although they reassured his anxious mind, his inquietude during the 
voyage was constantly showing itself, in watching the young girl if 
she appeared to be in conversation with the religious, sending her 
brother to draw her away from their company, etc. We trust their 
pra3^ers for the dear soul of the child were heard, and that Heaven 
granted her the opportunity of embracing the faith in which she so 
earnestly believed. 

Monday, the 2d of June, dawns bright and clear, and although 
land is not yet in sight, the Captain so assures them that they are 
nearing the harbor, that M. Macheboeuf offers the Holy Sacrifice for 
the last time on the poor improvised cabin altar of the ''Zurich." 
He consumes the Sacred Species, animated with gratitude to our 
Blessed Lord for his singular goodness and protection, and all assist 
at that last Mass with an exultation and joy that only the accomp- 
lishment of a long cherished desire can bring. Not many moments 
after the Holy Mass was ended, came the joyful news, that in a few 
hours land would be in sight. It sufficed to cure the sea-sick, among 



48 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

whom our dear Mother Julia had been classed during the entire 
voyage, and gave appetite for the light breakfast, of which all par- 
took with gay bounding hearts. In another hour, the vessel rang 
with the sailor's joyful cry of Land, ho ! With what meaning these 
words break upon the ear that has so long listened to the roar and 
splash of the foamy waves, and the whistling of winds in the cordage 
of the creaking ship ! In the twinkling of an eye, all rush to the 
deck to assure themselves that what they hear is true, and whilst 
some cry for joy, our good sisters stand with hearts uplifted to 
God, that they see at last the land of their adoption, the land which 
their labors will make blossom as the rose, which will in time yield 
to them such precious fruit to offer in sacrifice to God. In another 
moment the decks are deserted, all have gone below to make prepa- 
rations for the landing. Again they must lay aside their dear religous 
dress and clothe themselves as seculars, as they feared to draw too 
much unpleasant notice in a garb so little known in this Western 
World. 

Soon all the circumstances of examination of baggage, the 
visits of the health officers, etc., are gone through, and our trav- 
elers with their effects are taken on board a steamboat to enter 
the harbor. Carriages are soon found, and at two o'clock in the 
afternoon of the same day, they engage lodging of a good French- 
woman, Madame Pilet, who was recommended to them by one of 
the American ladies on board the '' Zurich." Here, made as com- 
fortable as possible, they had the inestimable satisfaction of being 
near a church, which was in the pastoral charge of a good friend 
and fellow-countryman of M. Macheboeuf, Reverend M. Lafon. 
This zealous priest, who was himself teaching the little ones of 
his flock in the basement of his church, kept open for their con- 
venience the little chapel, in which he offered the Holy Sacrifice 
during the week, and here again they had the unexpected joy of 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 49 

offering their daily prayers, reciting the Office, etc., in presence 
of the Blessed Sacrament. Happy augury, that our Blessed Lord 
seemed thus under all circumstances to keep close to His Sacred 
Presence the souls who had so generously turned away from the 
loving presence of father and mother and friend, that they might 
dwell with Him in the courts of the Lord forever. 

Their stay in New York was prolonged, much against their 
wish, by the annoying slowness of the Custom House officials in 
releasing their baggage. Whilst there, they were caused some uneas- 
iness by contradictory letters received from Cincinnati, referring to 
the destination which Bishop Purcell intended for them. One an- 
nounced that Monseigneur intended to settle them in Toledo, where 
Father Rappe was chaplain ; another assured them that the Sisters of 
Notre Dame were to be sent there. But one great principle 
governed Mother Julia throughout her religious life, — that of sub- 
mission to superiors, recognizing in their authority the Divine Will ; 
and the chronicles verify this in declaring these the dispositions of 
all, as they left New York to begin their route to Cincinnati. After 
a week's stay, the ninth of June found them on their way to Philadel- 
phia by steamboat, whence they went directly to Baltimore. Here the 
ever kind thoughtfulness of their good Father, Bishop Purcell, had 
secured for them the hospitality of the Sisters of the Visitation, on 
Park Street. They were given substantial proofs of the tender 
charit}^ and sweetness of the Sisters of the Visitation, and, if any of 
the good religious of that early day are living, we beg them to 
accept anew the acknowledgment of the grateful remembrance which 
** Brown County" still holds for the kind hearts which gave so warm 
a welcome to its dear founders. Not less cordially did the Visitan- 
dines of Georgetown receive Mother Julia Chatfield, who, being 
charged with a commission for them from some friends in France, 
visited their beautiful convent, accompanied by Father Macheboeuf 



50 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

and Mother St. Peter. Charmed with their first introduction to an 
American convent boarding school, their only regret was their ina- 
bility to accept the pressing invitation of the good sisters to remain 
longer with them. They were touched with the deepest feeling on 
visiting the infirmary of the convent to see the daughter of one of 
America's most distinguished generals lying on the couch of a poor 
religious. The daughter of General Scott had, some years before, 
been traveling in Europe, and there, learning the truths of a faith she 
had been taught to despise in her own country, she had made the 
abjuration of her errors in the Eternal City. Returning home, she 
found herself abandoned and disowned by her family, and she had 
come to seek, among the meek and lowly daughters of St. Francis 
de Sales, the sympathy and assistance denied her by those of her 
own flesh and blood. Though habited as a novice of the Order, 
she was destined to an early exchange of the uncertainties of this life 
for the unchanging joys of the next, and she had the inexpressible 
happiness of pronouncing her religious vows, of receiving on her 
death-bed that second baptism, in which the soul is born into the 
supernatural life of religion. 

Returning from Georgetown, our sisters did not miss the sights 
of the Capital, visiting the White House, the Capitol, and all places 
of interest. Those who remained in Baltimore improved each moment 
of their stay in the Monumental City by visiting the College of the 
Jesuits, the Carmelites, who were then engaged in teaching, and, 
indeed, every point of interest that could serve them in the new life 
they were to begin among our American people. The Oblate (colored) 
Sisters were, to them, — as they are to all Europeans, — objects of 
deepest interest and admiration. 

Good Sisters Martial, Christine, Mary and Bernard remained 
at the convent during some of these visits, and an amusing story is 
told of them. A French gentleman of some distinction, M. de la 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 5 1 

Roque, accompanied by a friend, hearing that UrsuHnes were in the 
city, hastened to pay them his respects. They were received by these 
four good sisters, in the absence of Mother JuHa and Ma Mere, and, 
after conversing with them most affably for some time, Sister Martial was 
suddenly filled with consternation at the thought that the young com- 
munity — strange, and in a strange land — should be so lowered in the 
estimation of her visitors as to be judged by such an unworthy repre- 
sentative as herself! With all the simplicity of manner she knew so 
well how to use, she began to beg the reverend gentlemen to excuse 
her if they had not been properly received ; that she was but ' ' 7me 
pauvre soeur converse^'" incapable of giving them a suitable reception, 
etc. The good priests enjoyed very much the simple soul's discom- 
forture, whilst, at the same time, they were much edified by her 
humility and modesty of manner. 

Now begins the long and tiresome stage-coach journey over the 
Alleghanies from Baltimore to Wheeling. What a surging hoast of 
recollections that word ** stage-coach " will bring to many an old 
inhabitant of Ohio ! It was a novel experience for our good sisters, 
accustomed to the smiling, clustering, sunny vine3^ards of France, to 
pass through long miles of the unbroken forests of Maryland, and to 
hear at night the distant cry of the savage beasts that had their lurk- 
ing places in these still untrodden wilds. 

Arrived at Wheeling, on Friday, where they were to take boat 
for Cincinnati, they met with an unexpected delay. Father Mache- 
boeuf was obliged to go to Pittsburgh to accompany two seminarians 
whom he had brought over to Bishop O'Connor, and he could not 
return before Monday. After having comfortably lodged the sisters 
at a hotel, he placed them under the care of a clergyman who had 
traveled with them from Baltimore, and who lavished every care and 
attention upon them until M. Macheboeuf's return. He was again at 
the service of our sisters on Monday, and, after making a few prepar- 



52 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

ations for the three days' journey to Cincinnati, they left the wharf 
that afternoon. Soon they were carried on the bosom of the broad 
Ohio, whose very name brought to them a reahzing consciousness 
that they were nearing their future home. At noon of the third day, 
their steamboat stood facing the Queen City, crowned and enthroned 
on her majestic hills, and girdled by the circling Kentucky shores 
that stretched far off in the purple distance. *' It would be impos- 
sible," said one of these saintly souls, "to describe the happiness, the 
joy that reigned in our hearts. True, we were not without some 
apprehension, for we knew nothing of the Bishop's plans in our 
regard ; but believing that what he wished, would be for us the 
expression of God's will, our minds were at peace and our souls were 
happy." 

Seated in the carriage provided for them, they drove at once to 
the Bishop's residence, and in a few moments, presented in due form 
by M. Macheboeuf, they knelt to receive the benediction of him who 
was ever to be their father and friend. With a heart full of emotion, 
he conducted them to the Cathedral, and there, in the presence of the 
Blessed Sacrament, he gave then a short exhortation, ending in the 
most tender expression of thanks that their zeal for the salvation of 
the souls under his poor care had urged them to undertake so long 
and painful a journey. 

Let us leave this cherished group as they kneel in the beautiful 
Cathedral, which has just been raised to God's worship by the inde- 
fatigable efforts of the noble Bishop — himself the central figure — while 
they offer to God the homage of grateful hearts, the joy of soul 
known only to those who, like them, have given all to Him — even 
themselves — in sacrifice. 




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CHAPTER IV. 



1845— 1850. 




S soon as the sisters left the Bishop's residence, they 
were driven to the home of Mr. and Mrs. David Corr, 
the family who, at the request of Bishop Purcell, felt it 
a pleasure to receive them with every mark of the most 
genuine hospitality. When Bishop Purcell made known to Mrs. Corr 
that a band of Ursulines would reach the city in a few days, this 
good lady immediately begged the honor of receiving them as guests ; 
thus beginning the friendship and mutual interest which existed be- 
tween her and the community of Brown County during her entire 
life-time. Having fitted up a little chapel in her home for their use, 
each morning they assisted at Father Macheboeuf's Mass, and 
approached the holy table. On Wednesday, Bishop Purcell came 
himself to offer the Holy Sacrifice, inviting them to attend Solemn 
High Mass at the Cathedral the following Sunday. Here he 
announced that eleven timid Ursulines had left their homes in 
Boulogne and Beaulieu, in France, undertaking willingly a long and 
fatiguing journey, to devote themselves to the instruction of the 
young in the diocese of Cincinnati. 

As the wise Bishop had not decided definitely upon a location 
(53) 



54 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

for the future school of the Ursulines, it was judged well that Mother 
Julia and Mother St. Peter should, in company with M. Macheboeuf, 
visit at least two places open to their choice — the city of Chillicothe, 
and the farm of two hundred acres in Brown County, donated by 
General Lytle to Bishop Fen wick, in 1823, for educational purposes. 
Another donation of one hundred acres had been added to this by 
Michael Scott, and it is this farm of three hundred acres that now 
constitutes the site and property of the Ursuline Convent of St. Mar- 
tin's. Whilst our good Mothers and Father Macheboeuf are discussing 
the matter of their journey, let us interest ourselves for a few moments 
in the preceding history of the settlement of St. Martin's, Brown County. 
When the Indians, by different treaties, relinquished their claims 
to those states west of the Alleghanies, and the United States, as a 
government, owned the soil, we find that the lands now forming 
Brown County were included in what was known, at the time Ohio 
was admitted into the Union, as the Virginia Military District, and that 
they were entered, located and surveyed under the laws of the State 
of Virginia. General Richard C. Anderson was appointed principal 
surveyor, opening an office for the reception and location of surveys 
at Louisville, Ky., as early as August i, 1784. As the Brown 
County of to-day, then a nameless tract of unbroken forest, lay 
directly on the Ohio river opposite the Kentucky shore, it was sur- 
veyed early in 1787, but it was formed into a county from the 
adjoining counties, Adams and Clermont, only as late as March i, 
181 7. The great Indian chief, Tecumseh, once held sway over the 
fields and forests of what is now Brown County, and it is related in 
its history that, in the year 1792, a battle was fought with this noble 
Indian on the southeast side of the East Fork of the Little Miami, 
in Perry township, though the exact location is a disputed point. 
Some of his people had been stealing horses from the white settle- 
ments in Kentucky, and a band of thirty-six men pursued them. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 55 

The Indians had crossed the Ohio where Ripley now stands, and 
the pursuing party, pushing up through the countiy, found the Indians, 
under Tecumseh, in camp at East Fork. Our settlers made attack, 
but, finding them much stronger in numbers than was first supposed, 
they were obliged to retreat toward the Ohio, losing two of their 
number, whilst the loss of the Indians was much greater. 

An expedition under Colonel Benjamin Logan, in 1786, also 
passed through this region, and General William Lytle, then a boy 
of sixteen, was among the party. We are told by the grand- 
daughter of General Lytle that he was born in Carlisle, Cumber- 
land County, Pennsylvania, September i, 1770 — not in Cumberland, 
Penn., as stated in "The History of Brown County." His boyhood 
was mostly passed in Kentucky, where his family emigrated, and 
when quite a young man he began to make surveys in the Virginia 
Military District. About 1796, he laid out the town of Williamsburg, 
in Clermont County, but in 18 10 he removed to Cincinnati, where 
he died, in 1831. The deed of transfer says the original grant was 
made by the United States to John G. Lytle, by letters patent, 
November 14, 1822. To this brave man, and to Mr. Michael Scott, 
the church of Cincinnati was indebted for this grant of land. 

Of Mr. Michael Scott we learn that his was the first Catholic 
family to settle in Cincinnati ; that he was an architect and carpen- 
ter, living on Seventh and Broadway, described by those who 
remember him as a small, wiry man, wearing knee-breeches. He 
moved from Baltimore in 1805, and of his strong faith and qualifica- 
tions as a pioneer. Dr. Shea, in his "History of the Church," gives 
two striking instances. He says: '*One of the earl}^ known Catholic 
settlers of Ohio was Michael Scott, from Baltimore, who took up his 
abode in Cincinnati about 1805. Finding himself cut off' from the 
consolations of religion, he resolved to fulfill his duties at Easter, and 
journeyed with his family to Lexington, Ky., only to find that the 



56 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

resident priest was on a distant mission. When Pius VIII., in 182 1, 
by his Bull, 'Inter Multiplices,' of June 19, 1821, to Reverend Edward 
Fen wick, established the See of Cincinnati, the Bishop determined to 
move the church — or, rather, barn-like structure of logs, unceiled and 
unplastered, that had been erected and blessed, in 18 19, by his 
nephew. Father N. D. Young, at the corner of what is now Vine and 
Liberty — into the city, on Sycamore Street. The pro-Cathedral was 
drawn by oxen to its new site amid shouts of derision and hatred, 
for a city ordinance had prevented the erection of a church within 
the city limits. There is a tradition that on the first Sunday after 
its transfer, while the Holy Sacrifice was proceeding, the building 
beginning to sway, Michael Scott jumped over his pew and ran out, 
followed by another member of the congregation. Scott crept under 
the building, at the risk of his life, and steadied one of the props 
till his companion made the supports secure, and enabled him to 
emerge from his post of danger." 

The First Mass offered in Brown County was said by Reverend 
Father Hill, an English missionary who worked with the saintly 
Bishop Fenwick about 1823, and the only worshippers at this first 
Mass were the families of William and Edward Boyle, and Mrs. 
Bamber. Occasionally some missionary priest w^ould visit the spot 
and minister to the spiritual wants of the slowly increasing number 
of Catholics ; but in 1830 their hearts were consoled by the coming 
of a resident priest into their midst. This was the Reverend Martin 
Kundig, a native of Lucerne, Switzerland. He built the first log 
church in Brown County, in 1830, on the grounds now belonging to 
the Convent ; it was located on the north side of the brow of the 
meadow sloping from the entrance gate down to the creek. 

He remained in charge, how^ever, only two years, being trans- 
ferred in 1832 to the growing city of Milwaukee, Wis., where he 
died. Vicar General of the diocese, in 1876. He was succeeded by 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 57 

the Reverend James Reed, who replaced the little log church by a 
larger one, occupying a site on what is now the lawn before the 
Chaplain's residence. He also built the house used as a seminary 
for theological students, and, after the erection of the convent, as the 
dwelling of Fathers Gacon and Cheymol. Remaining but a few years, 
during which he taught a day and boarding school for the children 
of his large parish, he was succeeded by Father Masquelette, in 
charge until 1839. 

This brings us to the date on which our good Fathers Gacon 
and Cheymol were sent, by Bishop Purcell, to take charge of Brown 
and five adjoining counties. Their mission extended from Chillicothe 
through the entire country for numbers of miles. In 1840, the stu- 
dents of the Diocesan Seminary connected with the Atheneum in 
Cincinnati were removed to Brown County, by direction of Bishop 
Purcell, and presided over, first, by Reverend Father Joseph O'Meaty, 
and aftei*wards by Father Borlando, of the Lazarists. Here most 
solid work was done in forming the young students of the diocese 
for the holy offices of the priesthood, in training them to those vir- 
tues that afterward shone so resplendently in their sacerdotal labors. 
The only one of the original band of Brown County Seminary stu- 
dents still working in the Master's vineyard, is Reverend Thomas 
Boulger. 

With these few details fresh in our memory, let us return to 
our dear travelers, w^hom we left making plans for their trip with 
Father Macheboeuf to St. Martin's and Chillicothe. There was no 
railroad running in this direction from Cincinnati, and all public 
travel, between the city and these small towns, was carried on by 
that peculiarly American conveyance known as the omnibus. But 
our little party, uncertain of the changes which circumstances of 
their journey might cause in their plans, thought it more pi*udent to 
hire a carriage, which would, as well, insure them more privacy. 



58 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Accordingly, we find them setting out on their journey, about six o'clock 
in the morning of June 22, by way of Fayetteville. Their driver was 
not more sure of the road than the travelers, and several times lost his 
way and had to retrace his steps. Several other mishaps to the horses 
and carriage — which were not of the best — helped to lengthen their 
tedious journey, and they did not reach Fayetteville until the dark- 
ness of evening had closed round them. Here they find another 
horse, to continue their journey of nearly three miles to St. Martin's, 
where they arrived after nine o'clock. But the warm welcome 
received from the genial Father Cheymol, whom they had met in 
Cincinnati, and who now came out to greet them ; from the saintly 
and gentle Father Gacon, in whom they met for the first time their 
future ecclesiastical Superior, made them forget the wearisome troubles 
of the day. Soon they were seated in the modest dw^elling of the 
good Fathers, refreshed by some wine, presented by good Father 
Gacon, which he himself had made, from vines planted since his 
coming from France, in 1839. During the supper, which was soon 
announced, they spoke with the reverend gentlemen of the object 
of their visit, and of the proposed foundation, etc., but as the hour 
was late, they hastened to seek the repose so much needed after 
the fatiguing journey of the day. Conducted to a small frame house 
a few paces distant, occupied by two domestics in charge of the 
household arrangements of the Seminary, Mother Julia and Mother 
St. Peter began, with a little of the feminine uneasiness common 
under such circumstances, to examine the approaches to their room, 
with the view of making them secure for the night. One window 
and two doors — one leading into the yard, the other into a little 
passage — but both without lock and key or bolts of any kind ! 
Two beds, two chairs and a washstand composed the furniture of 
the little room, and it did not take long to decide that these should 
be moved from the places they occupied, to serve as a barricade to 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 59 

the doors. This done, with quiet hearts our dear Mothers knelt to 
say their accustomed prayers before taking their much-needed repose. 
But suddenly strange sounds are heard in the small passage outside 
their very doors ! Blows, as from a heavy club, then a monstrous 
heavy tread, strike upon their frightened ears, and each flies to the 
unlocked door to add her weight and strength to the light chair 
and stand, which alone are between her and danger. Does that 
unwieldy tread fall from the giant form of some of those enormous 
bears of which they have read, still lurking in these Western wilds ; 
or may it not be one of those American savages, yet living in the 
lands conquered from him by the white man? But, thank God I some 
one is coming to the rescue, and these harrowing thoughts are lost 
in the joy of hearing familiar voices outside. " Whoa ! Not there ! 
Not there!" And in a moment the sounds cease. A gentle knock 
at the door reassures them, and, pushing aside the improvised bar- 
ricade, they go out into the yard, where stand good Fathers Cheymol, 
Gacon and Macheboeuf, come to inquire if they had been frightened, 
and to tell them that one of the horses they had driven from Cin- 
cinnati had broken loose from the stable, and had strayed into the 
little passage of their dwelling I They did not sleep very soundly 
that night, — nor were the circumstances calculated to make a favor- 
able impression of Western life upon the minds of these polished 
European ladies. 

Early the following morning they spent an hour or two in 
looking over the farm, buildings, etc., and whilst taking a frugal 
dinner, before setting out for Chillicothe, Notre Mere discussed the 
advantages of the situation with Father Gacon. The latter, whilst 
assuring her that she would have at least six or more boarding 
pupils, and that the air of St. Martin's was healthful and pure, 
advised her to pray earnestly, and leave the choice of their location 
to Monseigneur Purcell. This harmonized so thoroughly with Notre 



6o FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Mere's own views, that she determined more strongly than ever to 
hold to this decision. 

At one o'clock they met the stage-coach which carried passen- 
gers for Chillicothe. It was eleven o'clook at night when they 
reached this thriving town, which had been, conjointly with Cincin- 
nati, the capital of the State, before Columbus was selected for that 
distinction. Warmly welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, whose 
hospitality the good Bishop had secured for them, they were soon 
resting from the fatigues of their journey to gain strength for those 
of the morrow. After being refreshed by a good night's rest, they 
were driven by Mr. and Mrs. Anderson to several points in Chilli- 
cothe, judged favorable for the location of a school, without, how- 
ever, being much impressed with the advantages they offered. With 
gratitude for the many attentions shown them by their kind host, 
they leave on the twenty-fifth for Cincinnati, where their sisters are 
anxiously awaiting them. 

During the remainder of their stay in the city, our sisters 
visited the College of the Jesuits, the Convents of the Sisters of 
Charity, and of the Sisters of Notre Dame, by whom they were most 
cordially received, and, during spare moments, they deemed it a 
pleasure to assist the ladies of the Cathedral congregation in fitting 
and sewing the carpets for the new Episcopal residence, just com- 
pleted. In the new Cathedral, not yet consecrated, the Bishop 
formally received Miss Dunn, afterwards Mother Josephine, on the 
Feast of the Visitation, July 2d, as the first postulant of the new 
community. 

Already over ten days in Cincinnati, their hearts began to 
turn with an ever - increasing longing toward the home Divine 
Providence destined for them, for the retirement and seclusion it 
held in store for them, no matter how humble or lonely the spot. 
Their joy, therefore, was great when, on the fifteenth of July, Bishop 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 6l 

Purcell waited upon them to learn their wishes and views regard- 
ing a final choice of location. After asking if they preferred Chilli- 
cothe or Brown County ; whether they would like to visit other cities 
in the diocese, they replied with one voice, that they had no choice 
in the matter, but would be glad to go where Monseigneur wished ; 
that they would regard his word as the expression of the Divine 
Will. Such generous sentiments touched his heart, and, after a 
moment's reflection, with the quick, decisive thought so characteristic 
of the great prelate, he replied that on the following morning he 
would offer the Holy Mass, begging the Holy Spirit to direct his 
decision, and that he would then make a final choice. We may 
be sure that the nuns joined, with heart and soul, in the good 
Bishop's prayers, the result of which he made known to them the 
following morning after Mass. He then told them that he believed 
Brown County to be the place which God destined for their work, 
and that he would have the seminary vacated for their occupation 
as soon as possible. To this they yielded their ready assent, glad 
to know that their days of uncertainty were at an end, eager to 
enjoy once again the peace and retirement of their beloved cloister. 

No good work that bears on its surface the seal of God's 
approval is ever wholly without opposition. This case was not an 
exception to the rule. Many were found who tried to dissuade 
Mother Julia from accepting such a location, which they laughingly 
called the "end of creation," pointing out at the same time the 
comparative advantages of other places in the diocese. But her 
staid resolution, the offspring of her unalterable spirit of faith, never 
faltered, never weakened under these opposing views, and the 
vanished years have borne testimony to the wisdom of a decision 
so firmly guided by supernatural principles. 

The twenty-first of July our good nuns rose with cheerful hearts 
and joyful anticipations of the day's close, for it was to bring them 



62 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

to a home at last. Monseigneur had given them his parting ben- 
ediction the evening before, with the promise that he would, in a 
very short time, visit them in Brown County. The conveyances to 
cany them from the city were on hand at three o'clock in the 
morning, for after Mother Julia's first experience of a ride to Fay- 
ette ville, she wished to run no risk of reaching there after night. 
These were the regular mail coaches running between Cincinnati 
and Chillicothe, and the nearest point at which they passed the road 
leading to the seminary was more than a mile distant. A parting 
embrace given to good Mrs. Corr, and our travelers are at last 
on the way. Nothing of importance occurring, after a long ride of 
eight or ten hours they find themselves, at two o'clock in the 
afternoon, alighting from the stage-coach to walk across the wood 
to St. Martin's. Resting awhile, under the shade of a large oak, 
which sheltered them from the heat of the July sun, they refreshed 
themselves with some of the luncheon, thoughtfully provided by 
Mrs. Corr, the large oak and maple leaves doing service for plates 
and napkins. In after years. Ma Mere Stanislaus would keep this 
incident fresh in the minds of the younger members of the com- 
munity by a little "picnic" held on the very spot on which they 
sat that July afternoon, and the old story would have to be 
rehearsed, and the fresh green leaves hold the good things pre- 
pared, whilst the joyous novices blessed the Divine Hand that led 
them to so happy a home, and so dear a Mother. 

Now, our party of twelve, resumed their walk, and their eager 
eyes soon catch sight of the wooden cross on the little church of 
St. Martin's. That cross had surmounted the little log building 
which served Bishop Fenwick as his first Cathedral, and it had 
guided many a wanderer from foreign lands in the streets of Cin- 
cinnati, to the altar of God, to find in the Holy Sacraments of 
our priceless faith that bond of union which makes one, men of all 




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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 63 

nations and of all tribes. Now it stands, visible here and there 
through the leafy branches of the tall oaks and elms, a guide to 
rest and happiness for our tired wanderers, a guide to the Hidden 
Presence and possession of Him, who will so lovingly condescend 
to dwell with them and theirs, as long as they have an earthly 
home to offer Him. The wood is crossed, and Fathers Cheymol and 
Gacon are out to welcome the little party, conducted by their old 
friend Father Macheboeuf, and to lead them to the little church. 
Within its lowly walls they bow down their hearts in humblest 
gratitude to the Divine Husbandman who has at last allotted to 
them the fruitful field in which they are to reap the golden grain, 
ripe and ready for the harvest. 

The letter of Bishop Purcell had not reached Father Burlando, 
the good Superior of the seminarists, who began in great haste to 
make ready for departure, to give up the rooms of the seminary 
to be turned into a convent. We may judge that in these early 
days the effects of these young Levites did not require long pack- 
ing, and soon the house is in quiet possession of our party, and 
the Ursuline Convent of Brown County has sprung into actual 
existence ! Beds are improvised on the floor for that night, and the 
following days are spent in packing the furniture of the seminary 
to be sent to the Bishop, and making ready the house for the 
occupation of the sisters. 

On the twenty-third of July, their good and tried friend of 
many months. Father Macheboeuf, announced his intention of leaving 
the sisters who had shared his paternal care for so long. He was 
about to return to his extensive parish in northern Ohio, and we 
may fancy that if our good Mothers gave way to the feel- 
ings of nature, it was with sad hearts they bade good-bye to 
this zealous friend, the last link that bound them to their home 
across the sea. As they knelt at his feet to receive his benedic- 



64 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

tion for the last time, he promised to say Mass for the Httle com- 
munity on the first Saturday of every month, whilst in gratitude 
they would offer the Holy Communion to impetrate God's blessing 
on his arduous missionary labors. 

One of the inconveniences most keenly felt by Mother Julia 
and her little band was the want of a chapel, to which they alone 
might have access. The church was small, and on Sunday filled to 
its utmost capacity, and some means must be devised by which the 
religious could oflfer their devotions apart from the gaze of the public. 
A small outbuilding stood on the grounds, and it was resolved to 
form le choeur out of this poor room. On the 30th of July this was 
accomplished by cutting off the projection of the roof, moving the 
wooden house and joining it to the east end of the little church. A 
part of the framework of the latter was sawed away and a little 
grating substituted. The altar of the church faced the west, but by 
dint of arranging a table at the back of it, our good Mothers heard 
Mass every morning of the week in their little choir, still fulfilling 
the obligation on Sunday when Mass was offered for the congregation 
on the altar of the west side. For two years and two months their 
office, their fervent prayers, went up to Heaven from under this 
humble roof. 

To their great joy, Notre Mere announced to them that on the 
sixth of August, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Blessed Lord, 
they would lay aside the secular garments they still wore, and again 
clothe themselves with the religious dress. We can picture the joy 
with which they resumed the dear habit and veil, with the certainty 
that it was never again to be laid away. To this joy was added, 
in a few days, that of receiving their first letter from Beaulieu. 

The fatherly solicitude of Bishop Purcell for the new com- 
munity did not rest until he had made for them a final appoint- 
ment of an ecclesiastical Superior. Naturally, his mind turned 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 65 

toward the gentle, prudent, saintly Father Gacon, and we find the 
record of his appointment in a letter written by him from which 
we quote : — 

Cincinnati, August i6, 1845. 
Reverend Dear Mr. Gacon : 

I thank you much for the promptness with which you acquiesce 
in my request that you should be the Superior of the good Ursulines, 
— with the aid of M. Cheymol, when absence or indisposition might 
incapacitate you for this duty. Th.e.''' non recuso laborem'' oi St. Martin 
will assimilate you to that great saint in merit. ^ ^ ^ r^ 

Please remember me affectionately to M. Cheymol. 

Yrs. in God, 

J. P., Bp. Cincinnati. 

The twenty-fourth of September their hearts were gladdened 
by the first visit of Bishop Purcell, and on the twenty-seventh, the 
first religious reception, or clothing, was held in the little choir. 
The postulant. Miss Dunn, was clothed in the habit of the Order, 
and received the name of St. Joseph, in whose honor she had 
promised this act of special devotion, if her precarious health 
allowed her to undertake the arduous labors of religious life in a 
new community. 

During this visit, his Lordship also authorized Notre Mere to 
borrow sufficient money from the mother house of Boulogne, to 
enable her to build a suitable academy for the reception of pupils. 

But the small brick house occupied before as the seminary, is 
now comfortably fitted up for the winter, and Notre Mere finds that 
it can accommodate a few boarding pupils. They have already 
begun classes for the children of the neighborhood, but on October 
4th, 1845, their good friend, Mrs. Corr, brings the first three pupils 
entered as boarders, — her adopted daughters. Misses Mary and 



66 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Josephine Corr, and another young lady, Miss Margaret McLenan, 
of Cincinnati. These ladies, who are still living, Mrs. David Haire, 
of Fort Dodge, Iowa, Mrs. J. D. Mackenzie and Mrs. Laboiteaux, 
of Cincinnati, have thus the honor of forming, as it were, the 
corner-stone of the spiritual monument which is every year rising 
higher and higher from the sacred soil of St. Martin's, and send- 
ing forth from its height to the world around, hearts bright with 
beams of faith and love, to light and warm the coldness and false- 
ness that mark a world without faith in God. Soon several other 
boarders are brought, nine in all having been entered the first 
year. 

The proper celebration of the different festivals was carried on 
during the year with a true spirit of piety and as much outward 
ceremonial as their poor means afforded. The little choir was 
blessed by good Fathers Gacon and Cheymol on October 20th, 
and on the beautiful Feast of the Immaculate Conception we find 
Notre Mere consecrating the assembled community in a special 
manner to the Blessed Virgin, naming Her the first Superior of 
the House, and remitting her own responsible charge in Her 
hands. The same day a novena is begun to implore Her inter- 
cession in their behalf. They are about to ask the Superiors of 
Boulogne to interest themselves in procuring for them the funds 
necessary to build an academy. With a faith that knows how 
much alms-giving avails with our Lord, Notre Mere promised, if 
her prayers were heard, to receive an orphaned child into the 
House as a boarder, to be prepared for her First Communion. 
She also promised to continue this charity as many successive 
years as circumstances would allow. 

On the seventeenth of December, Notre Mere began the 
religious instruction of the First Communion Class, one of those 
composing it being about eighteen years old. One the day follow- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 67 

ing, she drew the first sketch of the plans for the new house, 
and sent them to Bishop Purcell to be submitted to an architect 
of Cincinnati. 

The winter had now fairly set in, and it proved to be a 
severe one. The religious, accustomed to the mild climate of 
central and southern France, had not made sufficient preparations 
for the rigors of an Ohio season, and many discomforts — and, we 
might say, hardships — had to be borne. On the eleventh of 
December, several of the neighbors of the parish of St. Martin's, 
who from the beginning had shown much friendly feeling for the 
religious, came to offer their services to good Father Cheymol for 
a "wood-chopping," that sufficient fuel for the winter might be at 
once secured. For this kindly labor Notre Mere showed her 
appreciation by inviting them to the Convent, and distributing 
what it was then almost impossible to procure, medals and beads. 
On the twenty-second we find the supply of chopped wood at the 
house given out, and the little community, with Notre Mere at 
their head, spending their recreation in wading through snow-drifts 
in the woods to replenish their exhausted stock ! 

On Christmas day, the High Mass was sung by Notre Mere, 
assisted by Sisters Hyacinthe and Josephine, but they were glad to 
be replaced very soon by a choir formed in the parish. They 
were also fortunate enough to secure the help of two French women, 
lately come into the neighborhood, to aid them in the domestic 
work. 

Seven or eight boys were prepared for their First Communion 
this winter, and, on the eighteenth of February, the Holy Sacra- 
ment was received for the first time by the boarder, who, 
although eighteen years of age, had lived far away from any 
opportunity of receiving religious instruction. 

Since the month of November workmen had been busy quarry- 



68 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

ing stone and burning brick for the prospective academy, and as 
early in spring as the weather would allow, ground was broken 
for the foundations. On the morning appointed for the beginning 
of the work, the Holy Sacrifice and Holy Communion were 
offered, that God might deign to bless this enterprise begun for 
His greater glory, and when the Mass was over, all repaired to 
the destined spot. There each sister, in her turn, threw out a 
spade full of earth, no doubt with a heart full of gratitude to 
God, and of renewed confidence in His divine assistance. " Mon- 
seigneur," as he was called by the French sisters, much to their 
joy, paid them a visit whilst the excavating was in progress, and, 
by his advice, Notre Mere, Ma Mere and Mother St. Peter went 
one afternoon to Fayetteville to inspect the foundations of the 
residence of Father Butler, which he preferred to the plan being 
pursued for those of the new convent. The change was willingly 
made by Notre Mere, and the digging continued until all was 
ready for the laying of the first stone. 

On a bright morning in May, the month of Mary, who looked 
down in complacent love on the small band, the ceremony took 
place, attended with all the solemnity possible to the occasion. 
Mass and Holy Communion were offered as usual, after which the 
little procession formed in line to proceed to the chosen spot. It 
was headed by good Fathers Gacon and Cheymol, reciting in a 
low tone the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, followed by Notre 
Mere and her ten sisters, with Mrs. Corr and six pupils, Misses 
Mary and Josephine Corr, Jane Belt, Margaret McLenan, Kate 
McConn, and Maria Hughes. Arrived at the spot where the master 
mason had everything in readiness, he presented to Mrs, Corr a 
trowel, ornamented with a pretty ribbon, and after she had spread 
the mortar, he laid the stone in position. In the center of the 
stone a box was placed, containing a great number of medals, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 69 

pictures and relics of saints, a paper setting forth the end and 
purpose for which the house was to be erected, the date of the 
laying of the stone, and the names of the persons present. And 
to-day, closing our eyes to the sunlight and shadow lying in softest 
beauty over the greensward of the Convent gardens, we glance in 
spirit back to that fresh May morning, fifty years ago, while the 
modest procession of surpliced - priest and black - robed nun, and 
happy mother and gay-clad child, fade from our vision, and we 
see instead, an endless train of Christian mothers and consecrated 
virgins, reaching from the earthly walls, that were laid this day in 
gladness, even unto the dazzling Presence that lights the jasper walls 
and pearly gates of the everlasting city of God. The day was in 
every respect one of rejoicing for the happy household, and for the 
becoming celebration in all quarters, Notre Mere invited the workmen 
engaged on the building to a dinner prepared for them at the little 
home of Fathers Gacon and Cheymol. Mr. and Mrs. Loiseau, who 
were at the head of the farm, under good Father Cheymol's super- 
vision presided on the occasion, making every effort possible, on their 
part, to manifest their interest in the great work about to begin. We 
say great work, for it must be remembered that at this early day, 
very few of the fine colleges and academies that now adorn the land, 
were yet in existence in our Western country. Therefore, the new 
building, one hundred and twenty feet long by sixty wide, was con- 
sidered a marvel in size to the people of the surrounding country. 
Even Monseigneur thought the sisters were grandiose in their ideas, 
but he encouraged the work and bade them have confidence that 
God would bless it. 

The stone foundations went up during the months of May, June 
and July, and on the twelfth of August, the laying of the brick-work 
began. During these months Father Cheymol was untiring in his 
surveillance of the workmen, scarcely quitting the spot, and to his 



70 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

great solicitude and care, are due much of the solidity and enduring 
character of the work. As the walls went up, and danger threatened 
the workmen, the community offered public prayers every day that 
God would vouchsafe to preserve the laborers from all accident. 
These were graciously heard, for although one of the masons one 
day lost his footing, and fell from the third story, he received no 
serious damage from the fall, and was again at work in a few days. 
At another time a brick falling from the hand of a mason in the 
second story, struck a workman below, but he escaped without seri- 
ous hurt. By November 12th, the structure was under roof; the 
weather having been so favorable throughout the season that the 
workmen had never been obliged to suspend their labors one entire 
day. Through the winter and ensuing spring, the plasterers and 
carpenters were busy in the interior, and it was earnestly hoped 
that it would be ready for the occupation of the nuns and pupils, at 
the opening of the next scholastic year in September. 

Among the notable events of the year 1846, which we are still 
recording, was that of receiving the money, from the Ursulines of 
Boulogne, for the purpose of building the new house. Grateful hearts 
welcomed it ; coming, as it did, just as the foundations of the house 
were begun, in May, it was at hand to enable Father Cheymol to 
pay weekly the workmen engaged, and thus relieve Notre Mere's 
anxious mind of a great burden. It was deemed best, however, not 
to leave so large a sum of money in the house, and, after keeping 
sufficient for present purposes, the remainder was deposited with a 
merchant of Cincinnati, whose reputation as a man of business was 
above reproach. But soon after reverses came to him, and it was 
greatly feared that the money of the community would be lost. What 
was to be done? To those who have faith, all things are possible, 
and our dear Notre Mere was full of confidence that the Blessed 
Virgin would not allow the work on the Convent of the Immacu- 




REV. WILLIAM CHEYMOL. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 7 1 

late Heart of Mary to be impeded by any such unfortunate event. 
To their good Mother, then, they had recourse, Notre Mere promis- 
ing, not this time to receive and instruct a child for First Com- 
munion, but that the first postulant presenting herself to join the 
community should be called by the name of Sister Coeur de Marie. 
A young French girl was soon after sent by a good lady of Cin- 
cinnati, whose daughters were boarders, to ask admission as a lay- 
sister, and the promise was redeemed, for just at a very needy 
moment, the money had been returned with interest due. 

Often, during the progress of the work. Mother Julia found 
herself embarassed for the want of money to carry it on, and 
she related one instance in which she received aid in a remarka- 
ble way. A sum of six hundred dollars was due, to a creditor, 
and her little treasury was empty. Kneeling at her prie-dieu in 
the chapel, she addressed herself with all earnestness to the inter- 
cession of the great St. Augustine, to whom she frequently had 
recourse in moments of pecuniary need. Whilst yet pouring out 
in fervent prayer the anxieties of her heart, she was startled by 
the sound of the door-bell, and in a few moments the portress 
entered with the message that a gentleman requested to see her 
on urgent business. Presenting herselt in the parlor, she found a 
person of portly mien and benign aspect, who, after a few intro- 
ductory remarks, proceeded to tell her that he was on his way to 
England, and that before embarking he wished to place a sum of 
six hundred dollars in her hands without interest, which she could 
dispose of as she wished, adding that if he should die, the money 
would never be called for. Filled with gratitude at this graciously 
sudden answer to her prayer, Notre Mere received the money which 
her benefactor laid on the table before her, and in the future 
addressed herself to St. Augustine with a confidence that nothing 
could weaken. 



72 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

The school was duly incorporated by an act of the Legisla- 
ture of Ohio on the sixth of June, 1846, this measure being essential 
to the holding of property. The title of incorporation is, **The St. 
Ursula Literary Institute." 

The little Ursuline choeur attached to the village church in which 
the nuns daily offered their prayers to God was, on the tenth of 
August, the scene of that most impressive ceremony with which the 
Church invests the reception of perpetual vows, that strong act of the 
soul who desires to consecrate herself forever to the service of God. 
On that day, Sister Hyacinthe, the white-veiled novice who accom- 
panied Notre Mere from Boulogne, pronounced the vows which bound 
her forever to God and to her work. As the young and graceful 
novice, who had left all that a high social position and devoted family 
love could bestow upon her, knelt amidst her sisters in this solemn 
scene, all hearts were thrilled with emotion at this joyful sacrifice. 
The Bishop presided, assisted by Fathers Gacon and Cheymol, who 
attempted to chant the Te Deum over the prostrate figure, "but," 
says the early annalist, *' they were so choked with glad emotion 
that they were forced to recite it in a low voice." 

The festivals of St. Angela, St. Ursula, and St. Augustine were 
celebrated by Mass, Holy Communion, and Benediction of the Most 
Blessed Sacrament, and toward the end of August the first retreat 
was mad^ — needless to add, without director other than Mother Julia. 

The winter of '46- '47 was not nearly as severe as the previous 
one ; a fact which greatly helped toward the completion of the new 
building. During the Lent of '47, Mon seigneur informed Notre 
Mere of the coming into his diocese of the Ursulines of Charleston, 
S. C, and of his hope that the two communities would affiliate. 
Owing, however, to wise reasons, the Charleston Ursulines were 
located at Covington, Ky., and the fusion of the two communities 
did not take place until some years later. The number of pupils 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 73 

this year increased to as many as the small seminary building could 
accommodate. The circular of the boarding school begins to be 
published in the Catholic Telegraph in this year, and in the issue oi 
June 14, 1847, we find the following: — 

** Fayette viLLE, Brown County, Ohio. — The new Convent and 
Boarding School of the ladies of the Ursuline Community is under 
roof, and contracts for the completion of the building have been made, 
so that possession can be taken early in the summer. This magnifi- 
cent edifice is of brick, four stories high, one hundred and twenty feet 
long by sixty deep. It is in the midst of a very large and flourishing 
Catholic settlement, which is daily increasing. We know of no place 
in the West which holds out greater inducements to emigrants wishing 
to purchase land than this colony of Fayetteville. There is a large 
quantity of land for sale, which can be purchased at a very moderate 
price, and there is a fine brick church and a resident clergyman at 
Fayetteville. The distance from Cincinnati is about forty miles." 

Our good friend, Mrs. Corr, is watching the progress of the work 
with eager eye, and toward the end of July she makes a visit for the 
purpose of inviting Notre Mere, Ma Mere and Mother St. Peter, at 
the request of the Bishop, to accompany her to the city in order to 
make all necessary purchases for the new academy. Some days are 
spent in this duty, and whilst in Cincinnati, they visit the Ursulines 
of Charleston, who are finally located in Covington. These ladies 
afterwards removed to the residence of Major Gano, on Bank Street. 

The month of August is spent in preparing the academy for the 
reception of pupils ; the nuns remaining in it all day, but continu- 
ing to take their meals and sleep in the old house. From the first ot 
August, Father Cheymol, fearing some accident to the unoccupied 
building, had determined to remain in it at night, and here he slept 
until it was ready for occupation by the nuns. 

Toward the end of the month of August, great joy was brought 



74 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

to the hearts of all by a visit from Father Macheboeuf, who had left 
them in the little parlor of the seminary just two years before, and 
who now found only a few days of relaxation from the hard duties 
of his field of labor, to visit his old friends. Delighted beyond 
measure to find the spacious convent building, and the many evi- 
dences of a successful beginning, the visit of this good friend and 
zealous priest gave great encouragement to the sisters. He was 
invited to sleep in the new house, where Father Cheymol was lodg- 
ing, and they were proud to feel that their good, tried and trusty 
friend was one of the first to whom it had the honor of giving 
shelter and hospitality. 

The eighth of September, the beautiful day on which the Church 
commemorates the spotless Nativity of the Blessed Mother of God, 
was chosen for the first offering of the Holy Sacrifice in the new 
home. The chapel was not yet ready, the altar unfinished ; but a 
portable altar was placed in one of the rooms, and here all knelt to 
worship Our Divine Lord in the dwelling which loving hearts had 
raised to Him, to beg that it might be His as long as time shall 
last. The chapel was not completed so as to be used daily, 
until Christmas, nor was the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the new 
house until that day. 

From the eighth of September the old house was given up, 
except to serve for the taking of meals. The kitchen arrange- 
ments in the new house were not completed, nor ready for use, 
before the early days of December. 

The following month, the seventh of October, the little chapel, 
the large room now occupied as the first department class-room, was 
ablaze with light and decorated with its best ornaments to witness 
the holy profession of Sister Josephine. Her two years of novitiate 
were happily over, and she, the child of wealth and high ancestry, 
kneels in the humble choir to offer herself and her life to God's 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 75 

service. Her vows were received by the Bishop, assisted by our 
own good fathers, Father Lamy, afterwards Bishop of Santa Fe, and 
Father Butler, of Fayetteville. Father Badin, the first ordained priest 
of the United States, also honored the occasion by his presence. 

The prospects of the little community for subjects are also 
brightening, for we find two presenting themselves during this autumn. 
About the same time that the Oxford movement was at its height 
in agitating the English church, Bishop Purcell received into the 
fold, in 1 84 1, an English woman, living in Cincinnati, who had 
long been seeking the tinith. Born in the Church of England, she 
had, after coming to mature years, joined successively the Metho- 
dists and other sects, hoping to find in them the truth and con- 
solation of religion she so earnestly desired. But all failed to 
satisfy the cravings of her keen intellect and true heart, until she 
happened to hear a most eloquent sermon, preached by the zealous 
Bishop of Cincinnati. His words sank deep into her heart, and at 
its close she knelt and, pouring forth the high-wrought and inex- 
plicable feeling prevading her soul, she said within herself, *'This 
is a man of God. I will do whatever he tells me to do !" 
Truly had this man, sent from God, fulfilled the mission of the 
Baptist Precursor, and clearly now did he say to this ardent soul, 
so confused and puzzled by the contradiction of conflicting creeds, 
''^ Ecce Agnus Dei!'' A few months of instruction over, the soul 
regenerated by the waters of Baptism and fed by the Bread of 
the Elect, longs for that higher life pointed out by our Divine 
Lord when He said, " If thou wilt be perfect, go sell all that thou 
hast and come follow Me." These longings were for a time hid- 
den in the depths of her own heart, fearing that she would be 
found unworthy of so great a grace, but after much waiting and 
many trials of the sincerity of her vocation, at the hands of her 
spiritual father and guide, Mary Choppin — in future to be known as 



76 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Sister Ignatius — enters, September 15, '47, as the first choir postu- 
lant received by the UrsuHnes of St. Martin's. 

The fifth of November brought another postulant from the 
mother convent of Beaulieu, Mademoiselle Suzanne Nave, who 
received the name of Sister Conception. Thus, we find new 
laborers coming to the aid of those already overburdened, and new 
pupils constantly added to the ranks of the old, so that this schol- 
astic year of '47-48 seemed to lay a strong and sure foundation 
for the success of the coming years. 

As soon as the religious were fairly settled in the new acad- 
emy, Monseigneur asked a privilege which the nuns were only too 
glad to grant, that of using the old building for the dwelling of 
his mother and sisters, who had lately arrived from Ireland, so 
sorely distressed by famine during this year. Here Mrs. Joanna 
Purcell, with her daughter, Miss Kate, lived for several years ; Miss 
Margaret, having married in a short time, lived in New Orleans. 

The twelfth of October, '47, brings a day in the annals of the 
Convent marked by a most special protection of Divine Providence. 
About six o'clock in the morning, a heavy thunder-storm sweeping 
over the country, the lightning struck the north end of the house. 
Tearing away about twenty feet of the cornice at that end, 
and, passing through the walls, it set on fire some shavings in a 
room used by the carpenters, who were still working on the build- 
ing. A sister, out at that early hour to superintend the aflfairs of 
the farm, saw the lightning strike the house, and, hastening to 
give the alarm to the workmen, who were at breakfast, they hur- 
ried to the spot, to find the room filled with the smoke of the 
shavings, just in time to save the house from further danger. 
Father Gacon coming at this moment to say Mass, it was offered 
in fervent thanksgiving for this most evident proof of God's pro- 
tecting care. The house was very soon insured against fire ; light- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 77 

ning rods were placed at all prominent parts of the building. At 
the same time Notre Mere made generous use of supernatural 
means of protection in the shape of medals and scapulars, etc., 
put in interstices in the walls. The winter and spring months 
passed quickly away, all busied with the work of the boarding 
and day schools, the latter having been opened soon after the 
arrival, and now counting a goodly number of pupils. 

But the crowning event of the next year, the delight of which 
still lingers in the hearts of those who witnessed it, which brought 
ecstatic joy to the heart of good Bishop Purcell, was a Procession 
of the Blessed Sacrament, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 1848. 
We leave our readers to judge of its effects on the public mind 
from the extract copied from the columns of the Catholic Telegraph 
of June 29, 1848 : — 

" Confirmation Procession of the Blessed Sacrament." 

" Convent of the Ursulines, Fayetteville, Brown County, 
Ohio. — The Right Reverend Bishop Purcell confirmed twenty-eight 
persons, of whom fourteen were pupils of the Academy, in the con- 
vent chapel of the Ursulines, on Corpus Christi morning. 

At 9 A. M. the Bishop commenced a Solemn Pontifical Mass 
in the vast hall of the new convent. Reverend Father De Smet 
being assistant priest, Reverend Messrs. Gacon and Pachowski, 
Deacon and Sub-deacon, and Reverend Messrs. Butler and Cheymol 
masters of ceremonies. Extensive preparations had been made, 
under the skillful direction of Reverend M. Butler, to celebrate 
the festival of the Real Presence with all possible solemnity, and 
it was intended that the Holy Sacrifice should be offered on one 
of the magnificent altars erected in the woods. But this, the rain, 
which fell at an early hour in the morning, prevented. After the 
High Mass and sermon by the Bishop, the weather became clear, 
and the sun had so effectually dried the rain on leaflet, tree and 
flower, as to admit of the Procession taking place without the 
slightest inconvenience. First was borne the cross between two 



78 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Acolytes — then came the young girls of the school and congregation, 
from fifty to a hundred couples in purest white, each one gracefully 
waving a banner on which was inscribed ^* Ecce Agnus Dei!'* 
Besides the small banners there were three large ones — the Infant 
Savior, the Immaculate Mother,* the Holy Patron of St. Patrick's 
Church — with appropriate mottoes, admirably designed and executed 
by Reverend Mr. Butler, and followed by a devout and silent 
multitude of at least ten or twelve hundred persons. Before the 
beautiful dais or canopy, under which the Holy Sacrament was 
borne by the Bishop, supported by Reverend Father De Smet on 
one side and the Reverend Deacon and Sub-deacon on the other, 
the canopy itself being carried by four worthy Catholics, of as 
many different nations — America, Ireland, Germany, France — there 
were two thurifers who knelt at concerted signals, and swung 
their glowing censers, while immediately after, six of the little 
girls, looking more like angels than beings of earthly mould, looked 
up toward the August Sacrament, like children gazing into their 
father's countenance with affectionate reverence, and scattered roses 
and fragrant flowers in the paths of the Savior ! Meanwhile, the 
Fayetteville choir continued to sing most delightful hymns in honor 
of the ''Present God," who makes it His delight to be with the 
children of men. At each altar overarched by the twining foliage 
of the ancient oak and maple, benediction was given with the 
Blessed Sacrament, and short addresses were made to excite the 
fervor -of the assistants. The last altar or station was in the chapel 
of St. Martin, near the Convent, on which is still seen the small 
wooden cross, which once surmounted the first Catholic church in 
Cincinnati. Here terminated one of the most edifying religious 
ceremonies ever witnessed in the diocese, a ceremony, the like of 
which many an aged Catholic, especially from persecuted Ireland, 
had never seen before, and one, we humbly hope, which was 
looked complacently upon by our Heavenly Father, whilst it 
kindled in the hearts of His children a new flame of devotion, to 
the sun and center of Catholic piety — the Eucharist ! 

The Academy of the Ursulines has been, is, and bids fair to 
be hereafter, with God's continued blessing, in a very prosperous 

* These are still us6d at the Convent for processions. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 79 

condition. Besides day scholars, it has already thirty-two boarders. 
The place is so remarkably healthy, the water so pure and 
abundant, the woods near the Convent afford such a delightful 
retreat from the exhausting heat of summer, the diet is so whole- 
some, and the sisters are so devoted to the happiness and improve- 
ment of their pupils, that this place must be a favorite with parents 
who desire to secure for their children advantages like those we 
have enumerated. Leaving Cincinnati in the morning, persons can 
reach the Convent by noon of the same day. To all, therefore, who 
desire a good school, at a distance from the city, but within half a 
day's ride from town, for the mental and physical welfare of their 
children, we conscientiously say, send them to the Academy of the 
Ursulines, Fayetteville, Brown County, Ohio." 

During this beautiful procession, the zealous Bishop, whose 
heart seemed to burn with divine fire, caught from the Sacred Heart 
he carried so reverently near him, preached four times. His fast 
was not broken until three o'clock in the afternoon, and he was 
so overcome with fatigue, that by dint of persuasion on the part 
of his good mother and the religious, he remained several days 
to take a much needed rest. This gave them the opportunity of 
celebrating the feast day of St. John the Baptist, on the twenty- 
fourth of June, with some simple songs and plays, in a way that 
delighted the child-loving heart of the good Father. Never was 
this holy man happier than when surrounded by the little ones of 
the flock. 

The first Distribution of Premiums took place July 17th. For 
a description of this important event — we say important, because it 
probably gave color and tone to all succeeding exercises of the 
kind — we are indebted again to the Catholic Telegraph of August 
3, 1848:— 

"Ursuline Convent, St. Martin's, Brown County, Ohio. — The 
first exhibition of this young and admirable institution took place on 



8o FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Monday, August 17th. Although no announcement had been made 
and no formal invitations given, a large number of the friends of the 
pupils, and those interested in the primary duty of the education of 
youth, were assembled at an early hour after noon on the day above 
named. The very spacious and beautiful chapel and choir of the con- 
vent, which were arranged and adorned for the occasion with chaste 
and admirable skill, were more than filled by the audience, a large 
number of whom were from the city of Cincinnati. 

The exercises were opened by a dramatic piece, which occupied an 
hour and proved a varied and exceedingly interesting display of the 
grace, talents and acquirements of the young ladies engaged in it. 
Several of them evinced, by the justness of their elocution, the truthful- 
ness of their tones and the feminine dignity and ease of their manners, a 
high degree of cultivation. As we are acquainted with many of the 
pupils, we can not withhold the expression of our gratification at witness- 
ing the early display of so much talent, and its rapid development is 
certainly the best evidence of the skill and judgment exercised so hap- 
pily in the training of these successful pupils. 

The story of "Z^ Petit Rarnoneur''' was simple, yet it was so lighted up 
with gems of wit and wisdom that alternately the smiles of mirth would 
play upon every countenance, or the tear of sympathy would well sud- 
denly up from almost every heart ; and so refreshing was the lovely 
scene and so forcible its eloquent appeals to the heart — and to the con- 
science, too — that every spectator seemed young again, as the expressions 
of admiration burst forth : ' how beautiful ! ' * how just ! ' ' how true !' 

We have frequently heard it objected that the introduction of dra- 
matic exercises into institutions of this kind is of evil tendency. In this 
instance, at least, the moral lesson conveyed so agreeably was irresistable. 
Of this we were convinced by the tearful eyes and softened voices of the 
experienced men or the world who sat around us 

The recitations in English were exceedingly well selected. The 
original matter in excellent taste and well expressed ; it formed but a 
small proportion of the exercises, owing to the fact that the school is too 
young to have formed, as yet, ripe scholars. The French recitations 
sounded very sweetly ; they were delivered with just emphasis and much 
feeling, and, in our opinion, with a very correct pronunciation. Indeed, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 8 1 

the most fastidious Parisian ear would be delighted with the pure and 
graceful enunciation of their native language by several of the accom- 
plished teachers of this most promising nursery of science and virtue. 

The display of skill in the ornamental department utterly surprised 
us, as we could hardly have expected from pupils of so short a period 
so large and beautiful a variety of finished specimens of difficult art. 
A very large worsted piece, some four by six feet, riveted our atten- 
tion for some time. It represented the Adoration of the Wise Men, 
and in many points it is superior to the original, which we had observed 
in the chapel of the convent ; we learn that it is the work of Miss 
Catherine McConn, and whether its superiority to the excellent orig- 
inal be owing to the special talent of the pupil, or to the skillful 
guidance of her teachers, it is quite an honor to the school. We 
regret that the crowd and hurry of the occasion prevented us from 
noticing the names attached to many of the specimens. We would, 
however, notice a purple vestment with pattern of exquisite taste ; also, 
a priest's stole, and many remarkably beautiful worsted patterns of 
large size, for various uses, and all in genuine good taste. 

The needle-work was rather beyond our criticism, the forms of 
the various articles seemed graceful, the drawings of the patterns 
unusually distinct and true, and the work so fine and regular as to 
suggest the idea that it looked more like the work of machinery than 
the handiwork of playful, happ}^ school-girls. 

The large and tastefully arranged pieces of ornamental and plain 
text penmanship were very gratifying proofs of great skill and care 
on the part of the teacher, as well as of progress of the pupils. Indeed, 
all the scholars have delighted their friends by their success in this 
very necessary accomplishment. 

In the department of vocal music, several of the young ladies 
have developed, in a most happy manner, the heavenly faculty of a 
clear, melodious and truthful voice. The premium of excellence in 
this branch was awarded for equal merit to the Misses Margaret 
McLenan and Mary Jane Foster, of Cincinnati. The second premium 
to Miss Ada Hoskins, of the same place. The Misses Margaret Duer 
and Francis Meara also distinguished themselves in this angelic art. 
In the class of instrumental music several of the pupils executed 



82 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

pieces of much power and beauty, and some of considerable difficulty, 
in a manner rarely surpassed by scholars so young. In the first division, 
the premiums were obtained by Miss Mary Jane Foster, Margaret 
McLenan and Harriet Moreland. In the second division by Miss 
Esther Fisher, Emily Moore and Emily Mosset. Miss Fisher well 
deserved the first premium of her division. Her tasteful touch of the 
instrument, in the gentle and soft passages of the sweet piece she 
executed, and her excellent time, seemed fully to convey the sentiment 
of the composition, and her proficiency was a matter of much encomium 
from an experienced judge of the Orphic art. Her ear had not, pre- 
viously to her entering the Institution, been accustomed to the sound 
of any kind of music, and her talent is more evident, as she has not 
enjoyed the advantages of city life. 

We have named a few of the pupils who have deserved especial 
notice ; we must, in justice to the others, add that we do not feel 
competent to the task of placing them in the exact order of their 
merit. The name of Miss Fannie Bracken, however, must not be 
omitted from the honor list, as she received the largest number of 
premiums, and, among them, the first premium of Good Conduct. As 
we hope to see the list of premiums awarded in the Academy pub- 
lished in the Telegraphy we shall refrain from any further notice of the 
meritorious pupils ; and as for the claims of the Academy and its 
humble and accomplished teachers, we have every confidence that when 
they shall be better known to the public, the Institution will become 
one of the foremost of the successful ones of the West." B. 

The Institution is fast becoming known, and with its merits thus 
lauded by the public press, new pupils are constantly seeking admis- 
sion at its doors. When we reflect that only three of the members 
of the community spoke the English language, we may form some 
opinion, approaching perhaps but slightly to the truth, of the labors 
sustained by these few teachers, who had the management and direc- 
tion of all the classes of English, music and drawing. Mother Stan- 
islaus was fast learning the language, and she, with Mother St. Peter, 
knew sufficient English to use the French-English text-books which 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 8^ 

were then in vogue for the teaching of the French language. Much 
efficient aid was given them in the person of Sister Ignatius, who 
took charge of the parish school and of the religious instruction of the 
boys and girls of the neighborhood. 

Two other English-speaking young ladies entered during the 
spring of 1848, under the advice and spiritual direction of Father 
Rappe, of Cleveland, and Father Junker, who was laboring zealously 
in Dayton and its neighborhood. These were Miss Katherine Caro- 
lan, who, at her religious clothing, received the name of Sister Xavier, 
and Miss Mary Birrer, who bore the name of Sister St. John. Again, 
on the sixteenth of November, three young ladies arrived from France, 
sent by the mother house of Boulogne, Miss Elizabeth Dodds, of the 
County of Essex, England, and two sisters of Irish birth, the Misses 
Ellen and Sarah Healy. All three of these young ladies had been 
educated in different convents of England and France, and their 
coming not only helped to lighten the labors of the overburdened 
few, but it enabled Notre Mere to begin the formation of a regularly 
established Novitiate, in which the future members of the community 
might be trained to the obsei*vance of rule, and to the acquiring of 
virtues that form the groundwork of the perfection of the religious 
life. Of the three thus coming to consecrate themselves to God in a 
strange land, in the flower of their youth, and in the promise of many 
days of usefulness to the community, one gave in future years a 
much-loved Mother Superior to the well-established house ; another's 
hands were folded early over the young heart, and she, first of all, 
slept the long sleep in the little grave-yard, while her sister, finding 
no vocation in herself to religious life, returned in two years to 
Europe. Mademoiselle Lamy, a sister of Father Lamy, also entered 
this year, but after some months, finding herself in ill health, and 
resolving to return to France, she went with Father Lamy to New 



84 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



Orleans, but there became so ill that she died, after some months 
spent with the Sisters of Charity in that city. 

Thus the scholastic year of i848-'49 proves to be one of happi- 
ness and success. The Distribution of Premiums was largely attended, 
and we find the usual laudatory communication in the Telegraph. The 
writer says, "As one who shared largely in the general delight, I 
take upon myself to offer this public expression of the unanimous 
approbation with which a large assembly witnessed these exercises. 
Taken altogether, everything would seem to recommend this Academy 
very strongly to the patronage of those who have daughters to edu- 
cate, and to the admiration of those who have none." 





CHAPTER V. 



1850 i860. 




OOKING back at the opening of the second half of the 
nineteenth century, the thoughtful mind is filled with 
astonishment at the growth of the Church, not only 
throughout the whole of these United States, but 
especially in the dioceses comprising the west- 
ern section of this great country. Cincinnati 
has now passed the twenty-fifth year of her 
elevation as an Episcopal See, the little frame 
hut which served Bishop Fenwick as a pro-Cathedral has crumbled 
into dust — forgotten in the exulting pride of the growing city, over the 
numbers of noble church buildings which ornament it, and stand in 
the towns as landmarks of the ever-growing faith of the people 
throughout the State. As the Catholic population increases, schools 
and academies for girls flourish ; hence, we find those belonging to 
the diocese of Cincinnati gradually filling in numbers and the teachers 
(85) 



86 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

raising the standard of their curricuhim, to keep pace with advanced 
methods in pedagogics adopted in the schools for women throughout 
the country. In the Academy of St. Martin's, the zealous teachers 
spared no efforts ; no personal sacrifice was considered too great that 
their work might be found worthy of its end. But none of the 
visitors who admired the modest parlors, the neat dormitories and 
airy class-rooms, thrown open to their inspection, ever suspected the 
self denial on the part of the nuns necessary to secure these comforts 
which their pupils enjoyed. When, in September 1847, they took 
possession of their new house, but three doors were hung in the whole 
building, the front door and two on the lower floor, closing in the 
corridor from the outside. Others were put in place during the winter, 
but work was continued only when Notre Mere found herself in pos- 
session of the cash necessary to meet the payments for material 
and work. The good community at Boulogne had responded again 
to her call for aid with another loan during the year 1848, and she 
was thus enabled to proceed to the finishing and furnishing of that 
part of the interior which was in constant use. But we find that up 
to 1850 there had been, as yet, no such convenience as a cupboard or 
wash stand purchased for the use of the nuns. As examples of true 
religious simplicity their rooms were furnished like those of the prophet 
of old — with a bed, a chair and, in some cases, a candlestick, though 
this latter luxury was by no means a common one. Empty soap 
and candle boxes, curtained with pieces of calico to keep their 
treasures from the dust, served all the purposes for which tables, 
wardrobes and cupboards are used, and when, by degrees, the proper 
articles were substituted, the satisfaction that springs from sacrifice 
was gone, and the sisters could not help feeling that something dear 
to Him who lived a life of poverty had been taken away from hearts 
that loved it. 

On the fourth of August we find that tables were placed for 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 87 

the first time in the refectory. Up to this date, the lids of piano 
boxes placed on two flour barrels, had served as dining tables ! 
One can imagine the caution necessary to conduct a dinner on a 
table with such unsteady supports ! 

The want of a bell large enough to be heard over the farm 
and in every part of the house, had long been felt, and Notre 
Mere desired most earnestly to make this very necessary purchase 
as soon as her means would allow. With great pleasure, then, she 
heard that a good friend would gratify this desire, in a manner 
and at a time most unexpected. A new bell had been ordered by 
Father Butler for St. Patrick's Church, Fayetteville, but finding it 
too small for the use intended, he presented it to the Convent. It 
was blessed in Fayetteville, on the nineteenth of March, and on 
account of its destined use, Father Butler baptises it under the 
beautiful and significant name of "Ursula." Long and faithfully has 
"Ursula" fulfilled a mission similar to that of the saint whose name 
she bears, in calling a virgin band, not to the sudden and glorious 
death of martyrdom, but to that hourly living death to personal 
convenience and so-called freedom, which the religious must practice 
in exactness to her summons. 

The city of Cleveland, where the indefatigable Mr. Rappe had 
been laboring since his coming to Ohio, has been raised by this 
time to the dignity of an Episcopal See, with this zealous priest 
as its first incumbent. He has just brought four Ursulines from 
Boulogne, to found a Convent in his episcopal city, and, at his 
urgent request, Bishop Purcell desires Notre Mere to visit in Cleve- 
land the dear sisters whom she had so generously left five years 
before. Accompanied by Sister Hyacinthe, she makes this journey, 
leaving home on the eighth of August, 1850, and returning about 
the twenty-fifth. There was great joy when the travelers came 
back, Father Cheymol going out several miles to meet them. 



88 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

The admission to holy profession of the first three novices 
received in America, takes place this year ; that of Sister Conception 
Nave, and Sister Ignatius Choppin, January 29th, and of Sister 
Coeur de Marie, September 12th. At the former, the venerable 
Father Badin preached the sermon for the newly professed, the last 
delivered at St. Martin's by the holy missionary, who was worn 
out with his sixty years of labor in the wilds of Michigan, Ken- 
tucky, Ohio and Indiana. Reverend Father Gacon, assisted by 
Father Cheymol was delegated to preside in the name of the 
Bishop at both ceremonies. 

Among the good helpers of the house at this time was Mrs. 
Dr. Charles Snowden, of New Orleans. After placing her daughter 
and an adopted child in the school as boarders, she had accom- 
modated the struggling community by a loan of money without 
interest, at a moment when it relieved them from great embarrass- 
ment. These and other considerations induced the Bishop to grant 
to Mrs. Snowden the privilege she so much desired of occupying 
a room of the house in which Mrs. Purcell had taken up her resi- 
dence. She remained here about eighteen months, when circum- 
stances obliged her to seek another home, much to the regret of 
all who knew her. 

A new brick building is put up in November, to serve the 
purposes of a laundry and bakery. It measured fifty by thirty feet, 
and aflforded a much needed convenience in the domestic arrange- 
ments of the house. 

At this time Notre Mere found that she could at last fulfill a 
promise, made in Paris, before sailing for America, by Mothers Stan- 
islaus and St. Peter, of placing a statue of Our Lady of Victory on 
the altar of the chapel in their new home in the Western World. 
A new harmonium was also used for the first time at the Christmas 
Mass. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 89 

Among the many pupils who had come into the Academy during 
these five years, there had been a goodly number of Protestants. 
Toward the close of this year, Miss Anna Haughton, the first convert, 
is baptized. 

Of the band of eight missionaries whom we saw crossing the 
Atlantic at the invitation of Bishop Purcell, in 1839, ^^^ ^^ ^^^ called 
to a more distinguished, though not less laborious, field of labor in the 
service of the Church. Father Lamy, the life-long friend of Fathers 
Gacon and Cheymol, is named Bishop of the far-oflf western See of 
Santa Fe, there to build up an American church out of the remains 
of the faith planted three hundred years ago by the Franciscan 
missionaries who followed in the march of the Spanish conquerors of 
the Pacific Slope. Before bidding farewell to his home and friends 
in Ohio, he comes to seek the solitude he desires in order to pursue the 
exercises of a spiritual retreat before his consecration. This he does 
under the direction of his life-long friend and adviser. Father Gacon. 
How tender the friendship that binds together these devoted priests, and 
yet how detached from its personal enjoyment when their holy voca- 
tion calls for its sacrifice ! The good Fathers Gacon and Cheymol 
accompany him to Cincinnati, when his retreat is over, assisting at 
his consecration on the twenty-fourth of December. Here the four 
friends, Fathers Gacon, Cheymol, Macheboeuf and Lamy, spend a last 
few hours in converse before the two missionaries set out for their 
journey over the plains, before the separation which will be life-long, if 
we except an occasional re-union at St. Martin's ; a separation now 
joyously ended, we trust, in an eternal union in the ranks of the 
anointed of the Lord. 

The newly consecrated Bishop and Father Macheboeuf reached 
Santa Fe only in September, and many letters were received by their 
friends in Ohio during this long and fatiguing journey. These are 
so full of interest, written as they were before the iron horse had 



90 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

ploughed its way over the Great Plains and lofty mountains that 
separate us from the western coast, that we reproduce them from 
the columns of the Telegraph : — 

San Antonio, Texas, March 10, 1851. 
Reverend and Dear Friend : 

I should have answered your letter sooner, but I had been absent 
three weeks from this place, and it was only at my return that I had the 
pleasure to see your favor. Now I have three priests with me : my little 
band is ready to start at an}^ time, but, with the best will in the world, we 
are obliged to wait until the train goes. On account of the scarcity 
of grass on the plains, they put off starting from week to week. I hope 
they will go soon, but we do not know yet precisely what time — this gives 
us a good opportunity to learn Spanish. 

Mr. Macheboeuf arrived here a month ago, with the young priest 
whom you have likely seen in Cincinnati. Mgr. Odin, of Galveston, 
would like very much to keep this young clergyman. I may leave him 
in Texas for some time, if he is willing to stay himself. 

As Bishop Odin has given me full jurisdiction in his diocese, I have 
visited some places. Last month, at the invitation of a young officer, a 
convert to our Church — a quartermaster and lieutenant at a military post 
called Fort Gates — I went there. The distance from San Antonio is one 
hundred and eighty miles : the young officer came to meet us half way. 
I found one-half of his company Irish Catholics. They had not seen a 
clergyman for two years, and some among them for a longer time. I 
kept church there three days ; a great number of soldiers approached 
the sacraments, the young officer himself giving the example ; indeed, he 
is very pious. His young wife is not yet a Catholic, but I think she is 
very well disposed. As it is very dangerous to travel on the frontier of 
Texas, on account of the Indians, the Lieutenant gave us two dragoons 
for my escort to return to San Antonio. The Reverend Mr. Macheboeuf 
is going to visit another military post adjoining the headquarters of the 
Comanches. 

Sometimes we have a day or two of cold wind, but generally the 
weather is delightful. The boundless prairies of Texas are a beautiful 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 9 1 

sight, and the rivers and the springs are also admirable. We have two 
rivers which run through San Antonio, one of which gives the name to 
the place, and the other called San Pedro. They come from two springs 
five miles above this, and they form, all at once, two grand streams. The 
San Antonio would be deep enough for navigation. 

There is here only one Spanish priest, who is very kind to us, and 
he gives us hospitality with the greatest cheerfulness. About one-half 
of the population is Mexican — perhaps three thousand — but most of them 
live in wretched huts. They are more like Indians than Europeans. 
The church is a very ancient building ; strong, but without much taste. 
There are in the neighborhood several old churches called "missions," 
which have been very flourishing in the last century ; now, nothing 
remains but ruins, yet one of them could be repaired with very little 
expense, if there was a Catholic population about it. Some of the Mexi- 
cans seem to be very industrious and independent. This is the largest 
congregation in the whole diocese of Texas. The convent is just built. 
Bishop Odin has also a large building occupied by the troops. The Gov- 
ernment pays him $1800 of rent every year. He intends to make a col- 
leore of it. 

Very few of my books have been saved — you know, I lost many 
other valuable articles. God was pleased to send me this trial from the 
very first for my new mission. May His holy will be done. 

My expenses will be three times greater than I expected, but still 
Providence comes to my help. 

Pray for me, that I may prove myself a worthy instrument in the 

hands of God, to work with zeal and resignation in the vineyard entrusted 

to my care. 

Yours devotedly, in Christ Jesus, 

t J. Lamy, Vic. Ap., N. Mexico. 

How changed to-day the scenes which our good Father Lamy 
describes I And how great the debt of gratitude which the people 
of New Mexico owe to these two zealous lovers of God and 
Holy Church ! We can not forbear following them to their jour- 



92 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



ney's end, and listen to the details of events transpiring along 
their route to the friends they had left in Ohio : — 

El Paso del Norte, June 29, 185 1. 

We arrived here last week, after a journey of six weeks on the plains. 
I did not suffer much on the journey, though both feet were sore. During 
the whole time the weather was serene, the air quite warm, and the nights 
so pleasant that we did not require the shelter of our tents when we slept. 
On almost every morning we offered the Holy Sacrifice. To the officers 
of the expedition we were under many obligations. They were invariably 
kind — had our baggage transported in government wagons, and supplied 
us with provisions at a very reasonable price and often presented us with 
game and fish. 

There are three beautiful pueblos or villages, on the Texas side, 
which belong to the diocese of Galveston, and the charge of which was 
confided to me by Bishop Odin. They are within four miles of El Paso. 
On my arrival they gave me a grand reception ; particularly in the fine 
town of Socorra, from which all the inhabitants came out to meet me, 
headed by the civil authorities, the Padre, music, and 'National Guards. 
Near the entrance of the town, they had erected a triumphal arch under 
which I had to pass. On the next day, being the Festival of St. John, I 
said Mass in the church, which was quite crowded. As I had left the 
good Spanish priest, who had accompanied me from the States, at the 
first village, to perform missionary duties for a day or two, I requested 
the Padre to tell his people that I was very grateful for the great respect 
they had manifested for the Episcopal office ; an honor which should be re- 
ferred to God alone, whose humble and unworthy ambassador I was. The 
good Padre did so ; but he added so many other good things about me, 
which I thought he should not have said, that I was constrained to inter- 
rupt him. I then made my first public essay in the " Lingua de Dios.'' 
After leaving the church, the Padre excused his eloquence and treated 
us with great kindness. The Bishop of Durango, who had charge of 
these pueblos of New Mexico, of Chihuahua, and other adjacent states, 
had given him the administration of ecclesiastical affairs of the villages 
situated on the Texan side ; but the old Padre is not overwell liked by 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 93 

the people. This little spot, and the vicinity for a few miles on the Rio 
Grande, is truly beautiful ; particularly so to me, arriving from a journey 
of six weeks over barren plains, and mountains without a tree to conceal 
their rocky precipices. Here he is delighted to find a country covered 
with verdure, the fields waving with grain, and the trees loaded with fruit. 

El Paso is a scattered village, of at least eight thousand souls. 
Though it seldom rains (for they have had scarcely a drop of rain for 
three years) yet, by a system of irrigation, they have managed to make 
their country like a garden. Their wine is excellent, also their peaches, 
apples, apricots and pears. 

The Padre cura del Paso, from whose house I write, has kindly given 
me hospitality. He is a very intelligent priest. His name is Urtez. 
The houses are low and remarkably clean, and well arranged for com- 
merce, and to suit the climate. The churches are large, but they might 
be kept in better order. So far as I could form an opinion, the people 
are well disposed. They certainly manifest a strong attachment to their 
religion ; but especially to its exterior observances. I can not say much, 
for it will take some time to form a correct idea of their customs and 
practices. 

I leave this week for Santa Fe, distant four hundred miles, and in 
performing this journey, I will see two-thirds of my district 

Reverend Mr. Macheboeuf is busily engaged with the Irish soldiers 
at the military posts. He unites with me in presenting to your Grace his 
respects, as well as to other friends in Cincinnati. 

John Lamy, Vic. Ap., N. Mexico. 

Santa Fe, Eve of the Assumption, 185 1. 
Most Reverend and Dear Friend : 

On last Sunday, the ninth of August, we reached Santa Fe. I 
thought it probable that some of the Faithful would come forth to meet 
us, but little did I expect to see several thousands in the procession ! A 
great number of carriages were seen, and among them that of the Hon. 
Mr. Cathorm, Governor of the Territory, who came out several miles, at 
the head of the authorities, civil and military, to meet us. Along the 
road, a number of tasty triumphant arches were erected, under which I 



94 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

was obliged to pass, whilst the canon fired a salute. I entered the Gov- 
ernor's carriage by his special request, attended by the Vicar-General 
and Reverend Mr. Macheboeuf. On our arrival in the city, we proceeded, 
amidst a vast concourse, to the church, through a fine street, lined on 
each side with beautiful cedar trees, which the day before had been 
brought in and planted for the occasion. The houses were decorated 
with fine carpets, and silks hung over the doors and from the windows. 
I wore the purple cassock, surplice maseta and stole. After solemn bene- 
diction in the church, we entered the dwelling, which is situated on the 
same lot as the church. Here the finest refreshments, and in great abun- 
dance, had been prepared and served in the hall, to which all the authori- 
ties, and many of the Americans and Mexicans, had been invited, as they 
were, also, to a public dinner which took place at a late hour. The house 
prepared for me belongs to the Vicar-General, and is one of the best 
here ; it is, indeed, an Episcopal palace. When he heard that a meeting 
had been held, some weeks previous to my arrival, to prepare a proper 
abode for the Bishop, he most graciously oflfered his own, which is most 
conveniently situated, and he retired to the home of his mother. We are 
now comfortably lodged. 

There are fine churches in Santa Fe, and one or two capellas. All 
are built in the shape of a cross. Some of them, with little expense, might 
be made quite handsome. In all Of them are good paintings, but they 
have not been taken proper care of, as their appearance attests. There 
is one church here which, under the Spanish and Mexican governments, 
had been frequented by the troops, with which I have been much pleased. 
It is not very large but admirably proportioned, and the sanctuary is 
enriched with a great deal of fine work in stone. The military authority 
seems to allege a claim on this property, though the territorial legislature 
has relinquished all right to interfere. I hope I shall not have much 
trouble in its recovery. The building stands in the middle of the square, 

fronting the plaza. 

John Lamy, Vic. Ap., N. Mexico. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 95 

Santa Fe, September 2, 1851. 
Most Reverend and Dear Archbishop : 

We recovered, a few days ago, the first church in the city ! Since 
the war it had been in the hands of the American troops. Having 
procurred the necessary documents, I appealed to the authorities to 
restore the property. There was at first some difficulty, but when it 
was known that I was determined to have justice done, and that not 
only all the Mexicans, but three-fourths of the Americans, were in my 
favor, and that there was much impropriety in using our church for a 
court house, they surrendered the building with all the formalities of law. 
The court being in session in the church, I entered, and the Judges gave 
me the keys. I addressed the people in Spanish and English, and on the 
spot I commenced a subscription for the repair of the edifice and its restor- 
ation to the uses of religion. The Governor and the Chief Justice headed 
the list, and in a short time we had a thousand dollars. 

This church is built in the shape of a cross, fronting the plaza, in the 
finest part of the city. By next Christmas the Reverend Mr. Macheboeuf 
will have it ready for divine service, when I hope to oflSciate at its altar, 
on my return from Durango. 

On the same lot there is a church dedicated to Our Lady de la Luz ; 
also, a dwelling house and four stores which rent for a hundred dollars a 
month. As everything is extremely dear, this rent will be of some help 
to us. There is also a large farm, containing several thousand acres, 
some of it quite fertile, which belongs to the Church, and which I hope to 
recover before long. 

John Lamy, Vic. Ap., N. Mexico. 



It is needless to follow these good friends of St. Martin's 
through the hardships and trials, by which they both built up an 
enduring monument to their apostolic labors in the respective 
dioceses of Santa Fe and Denver. Leaving them in the vast plains 
and mountains, which they must traverse to find the flock entrusted 
to their care, we find that, during the time of this correspondence 
with the western Bishop, our own city of Cincinnati has been 



96 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

raised to an Archiepiscopal See, and that Bishop Purcell sails for 
Rome, to receive the pallium from the hands of the Holy Father him- 
self. This is the first visit ad limina made since the great Pontiff, 
Pius IX., had mounted the throne of Peter. Taking passage 
at New York on the steamer "Africa," he wrote a Pastoral to the 
clergy and laity of the diocese, on the Feast of the Epiphany, 
announcing the Jubilee proclaimed by his Holiness, a Pastoral most 
touching in its fatherly love and tenderness, and received by his 
flock with every reciprocal mark of affection. But there are 
children across the water who are awaiting his arrival in the 
Eternal City with the same longing that these at home await his 
return, — a proof of which we find in a communication from Rome, 
published in the Catholic Telegraphy of March 29 : — 



Rome, January 17,1851. 
Reverend Mr. Purcell : 

Having heard that the Bishop is probably on his way to Europe, I 
direct to you the letter which it is now full time for me to write home. 
I did intend to write to you on the day of the Epiphany, but what with 
the various rites, in the morning, followed by the Pontifical Mass of the 
Most Reverend Archbishop Hughes, of New York, with the sermon of 
the same, after the gospel, and in the evening the Solemn Vespers, kept 
me nearly all the day in the church, and since then all my time has been 
taken up in things, if not as pleasant as writing home, at least more 
necessary. 

The scene the little church presented on that morning is still present 
to my mind. You should see it before you could judge of its beauty 
and its effect. There are in it five altars — one high altar and two small 
altars on either side of the high one. The floor of the church is unen- 
cumbered with aught save kneeling worshippers or standing spectators, 
for, in Rome, they have not the custom of filling a church with benches or 
cribs. At each one of these altars there was a Mass of a peculiar rite. 
At the high altar, you see an Armenian Pontifical with a splendor of vest- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 97 

ments and of numerous acolytes and thurifers, and attendants not equaled 
even by the Latin Pontifical Mass in a Catholic country. 

At the first side altar to the right was a Latin Low Mass, by a Polish 
bishop ; at the second, a Maronite Mass, in which either the assistant or 
the priest is continually singing, and in which the vestments are the 
same as the Latin. At the left, on the first altar, you saw a Chaldean, 
with his long vestments and flowing beard, carrying 3^ou back to the 
time when the apostles themselves first said Mass in Syro-Chaldaic. In 
this Mass, also, there is a continual chant, either of the celebrant or of 
the assistants. And, finally, at the second altar on the left, you might 
have observed an aged priest saying Mass in the Sclavonic rite, dressed 
in the long white robe similar to that used by the Latin celebrants at 
vespers. 

I have seen nothing more beautiful and impressive in my whole life ; 
no symbol so striking of the Church's vastness and unity, — ^vastness that 
comprehends all lands and time; unity not strained, external, material: 
a union of forms and ceremonies, while hearts and intellects remain far 
asunder ; but unity internal, spiritual, real, in seeking the same great end 
by means of the same faith ; the same baptism by the same holy sacrifice, 
through which faith is possible, and baptism efficacious. 

The Protestants — who were present in great numbers, as you could 
see by their eye-glasses and vacant looks — might have been silently refuted 
as to that demagogic objection they make about concealing the Gospel 
and Liturgical prayers from the people. All the rites, except the Latin, are 
either in the tongue used by the people, or else in the tongue once the 
language of the nation, but which has been left in its purity to the Lit- 
urgy in the downward " progress " of ages. 

After the High Mass, Cardinal Fransoni confirmed Viscount and 
Lady Camden, Archbishop Hughes and the Princess Doria being spon- 
sors. The poor lady wept for consolation at finding herself thus safe 
with her husband in the ark of Peter. Archbishop Hughes had already 
had the consolation to receive their first confessions, and gave them their 
first Communion. He had also received into the Church, at Marseilles, 
the abjuration of the curate of Archdeacon Manning. 

A curious anecdote is told of the conversion of Lord and Lady Cam- 
den. They had a private audience with the Pope, who, after talking 



98 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

with them some time, was struck by observing their little girl, almost like 
an infant, walk before him and make a low bow. The tender heart of 
Pius .IX. was touched by the unconscious homage of guileless innocence, 
as contrasted with the cold doubting and hesitation which the world and 
the flesh throw in the way of age, and, stretching out his arms over the 
little child, he burst into tears, as did also — as if taken by the same 
thought — both parents. After a little more conversation, they parted 
about nine o'clock in the evening ; Lord Camden to hunt up Archbishop 
Hughes and prepare himself for being admitted into the Church. 

On the fourteenth of this month was the Academy of Languages at 
Propaganda. There were forty-two. The English piece, making allu- 
sions to the present intolerance of the English, seemed to irritate some of 
those who understood it — a thing not to be wondered at, since there were 
many Protestants there. 

With regard to Rome and Roman affairs, I have no need to tell you 
anything. There is a rumor out, especially among the foreigners in 
Rome, that Dr. Hughes is to be made Cardinal, and though it may be 
well founded, still I have no reason for saying that it is so ; and even if 
I had — as, in fact, I have — something that might be construed into a foun- 
dation, I would not tell it to you, because you are an Editor. 

Yours &c., S. H. R. 

These initials will be recognized at once as those of Silvester 
Horton Rosecrans, the future coadjutor of Cincinnati, and the first 
Bishop of Columbus, who will soon finish his studies in Rome, and 
enroll himself as one of the most talented and efficient workers in 
the newly created Province of Cincinnati. 

Much of interest marked this visit of the Archbishop ; we notice 
particularly, in the columns of the Telegraphy of August 30th, that the 
Countess Ida de Bocarme, mother of the Count of that name, had been 
very anxious to thank the Archbishop of Cincinnati for his attend- 
ance upon her son during his last days, but had been unable to 
meet with him ; when, just as he was departirig from Italy, she met 
him at the railway station, about to take his departure for America. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 99 

Throwing herself at the Archbishop's feet, she twice demanded and 
received his blessing, and declared aloud that shQ devoted the rest 
of her life to the employment of making religious ornaments and 
vestments, which she would send to the Prelate for the decoration 
of the chapels which he might erect each year. 

We find that the Archbishop arrived home, as was his cus- 
tom when he wished to avoid any public display in his honor, at 
an unexpected hour, on the morning of August 24th. It was at 
the early hour of three o'clock, but a little rest refreshed him, so 
that he preached in the Cathedral the same day to an immense 
audience. "He is," the next issue of the Telegraph says, "in excel- 
lent health, and since his arrival, has been in constant communi- 
cation with the clergy of the various churches and large numbers 
of the laity who have hastened to offer him their congratulations 
on his safe arrival. The discourse of the Archbishop on Sunday 
was naturally suggested by his travels, < his interviews with the 
Sovereign Pontiff and sojourn in the Eternal City. His hearers 
were startled by some of the details which he gave of the manner 
in which the Church is slandered. In conclusion, the Archbishop 
recommended charity — in thought, word and action — no matter how 
great the provocation received from our opponents." 

The Archbishop was not long in visiting the Convent to see his 
aged mother, and convey to her the gratifying intelligence that 
the Holy Father had, in making His Grace a Prelate of the Throne, 
conferred upon her the title of a Roman Countess. The Archbishop 
and his mother were thus ranked among the nobility of Italy, and 
though most highly appreciated as a mark of the great esteem of 
the Holy Father, it was often the subject of many a happy pleas- 
antry between the good lady and her democratic sons. On the 
occasion of this glad visit, more ceremony than usual was added 
to the testimony of affection which always greeted His Grace. A 



lOO FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

handsome throne was erected in the main corridor opposite the 
vestibule entrance, the house was illuminated with countless lights, 
the pupils met him at the entrance door, dressed in spotless white, 
and, after being escorted to his throne, the nuns, arranged along 
the sides of the corridor, approached singly in turn to receive 
his benediction. During this time the Te Deum was sung, and 
when the little ceremony was over, the gracious Father mingled 
with his happy children, until the lateness of the hour closed the 
joyful scene. 

About this time Mrs. Corr, having lost her estimable husband 
by death, was invited by the Archbishop and his venerable mother 
to take up her residence with the latter. Here they lived most 
happily together until 1854, when Mrs. Corr removed to "Rose 
Cottage," a short distance from the Convent, where Mrs. Purcell, 
with Miss Kate, made her home for several years. During the 
month of August, several Sisters of Charity visited Mrs. Purcell, 
among them the now venerable Mother Josephine, of Mt. St. 
Joseph's, Delhi. 

The band of nine choir sisters, has, by the fourteenth of No- 
vember, 1 85 1, increased to thirteen; for, on that day, four chosen 
souls had the inexpressible happiness of pronouncing their religious 
vows : Sister Xavier Carolan, Sister St. John Birrer, Sister Ursula 
Dodds and Sister Pauline Furnell The Right Reverend Bishop 
Michael O'Connor, of Pittsburgh, delegated by the Most Reverend 
Archbishop to officiate on the occasion, delivered a most beautiful 
and eloquent sermon. 

The Distribution this year gave a most excellent programme 
to the public, and much praise was given to the first Valedictorian 
of the school. Miss Margaret McLenan, of Cincinnati. She had faith- 
fully gone through the course of studies during the six years of 
her stay in the Convent, and though, in those early days, young 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. lOI 

ladies finishing the course were not known as *' graduates," they 
deserved the title not less than those of later days. The Ver}^ 
Reverend Father Collins presided on the occasion, and in respond- 
ing, on the part of the Assembly, to the beautiful valedictory of 
Miss McLenan, he regretted that so bright and cheering a scene 
had not been witnessed by the cherished and honored founder of 
the institution, whose place he had been requested to fill. 

The notice of the events of this year, would be incomplete 
to many a heart, then buoyant and fresh with the brightness of youth, 
were the fact left unrecorded that the first *' May Party" was held 
this year, Miss Ada Hoskins as Queen. What a red-letter day this 
May-day was in the Convent ! None who shared its joys will ever 
forget the interest, the toil cheerfully assumed by the dear mistresses, 
that this day might be a never-to-be-forgotten one for the pupils. 

Early in 1852, Mr. Gross, a successful and most respected merchant 
of Cincinnati, brought to the Convent his eight motherless children, 
begging the favor of leaving them in the care of the good nuns, 
whilst he undertook a voyage to France, on business of importance. 
Five of the oldest girls were entered as boarders, while the two 
younger, and the little Charles, aged eighteen months, were com- 
fortably lodged, with their grandmother and nurse, in one of the 
large rooms of the house occupied by Mrs Purcell. The older 
members of this family, always so esteemed, and whose relation 
with the Convent through future years continued to be of the 
most loving nature, after finishing their English education within 
its walls, were entered as boarders at the mother house at Bou- 
logne, in order to acquire a thorough knowledge of French. 

That beautiful and most practical devotion of "The Way of 
the Cross," now so widely known and loved in every church of 
city or village, was given to the pupils for the first time, as a 
help to the knowledge of the Blessed Passion of our Lord, on the 



I02 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

fourth of May of this year. The stations were blessed and erected 
by Fathers Gacon and Cheymol in the spring of 1852. Many a 
heart now worn with care, and sore with the pain that has been its 
portion with the coming years, recalls with deep gratitude the 
precious graces of love and patience that have sunk into its depths 
before these simple representations of the Sufferings of the Man of 
Sorrows, while kneeling in the dim twilight, or in the quiet darkness, 
relieved only by the ever faithful gleam of the lamp of the sanctuary. 

The visit of two old friends came to add its share of joy to the 
household during the early summer, Monseigneur Lamy on his way 
to the National Council of Archbishops and Bishops, held in Balti- 
more, and Mr. Peudeprat, whom the nuns had not seen since their 
arrival in Brown County. This estimable priest was on his way to 
join Bishop Lamy on his return to the diocese of Santa Fe, but his 
zealous labors were ended by an untimely death, in St. Louis, at the 
house of the Jesuits, from that dreaded disease, the cholera, which 
was then scourging the country. 

It is now four years since the first Procession in honor of the 
Most Blessed Sacrament had borne the Sacramental Lord under 
the open canopy of His own bright sunlight, and the heart of the 
Archbishop, His most High Priest, longed to have a portion of 
the earth of his vast diocese blessed again by a public triumph of 
the Hidden God. The sixth of June, the Feast of Corpus Christi, 
was all that could be desired ; a bright and glowing sun shed its 
tribute of surpassing splendor on the day, which began by the 
solemn ceremony of a religious profession. The celebrant was the 
distinguished Bishop O'Connor, of Pittsburgh ; the newly-professed, 
his accomplished sister, Miss Mary Ann O'Connor — in religion. 
Sister Aloysia — who had been for many years a pupil of the Sis- 
ters of the Visitation, at Georgetown. Her reverend brother, Mr. 
James O'Connor, afterwards Bishop of Omaha, with the Reverend 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. IO3 

Fathers Gacon and Cheymol, assisted in the sanctuary, while the 
sermon was preached by the Most Reverend Archbishop. The 
Holy Sacrament was borne in Procession by the Archbishop under 
a magnificent canopy, carried by four laymen, to an altar erected 
at the entrance of the woods, in a deep shade formed by the 
arching boughs of leafy oaks and maples. Here Solemn High Mass 
was celebrated by the Archbishop, and this altar, thirty feet high, 
worthy of the temple of the God of Nature, displayed the taste, 
the energy, the patience, the devotion of Reverend Father Butler, 
who had prepared it, and another altar in the woods, to be as 
little unworthy as he could make them of the God who came 
down from Heaven to receive the homage of His people, and to 
walk among them and to bless them. The choir of the Church 
of the Mother of God, Covington, under the direction of Reverend 
Mr. Kuhr, deserved great praise for the aid it kindly rendered to 
enhance the splendor of the festival. Benediction was given at the 
second altar in the woods, and again, when the Procession reached 
the entrance, from an altar on the front porch. The day, a marked 
one in the annals of the Convent, shall never be forgotten by any 
who shared in its graces and favors. The Telegraphy from which 
we gather the main particulars of this sketch, adds: "The pupils 
enjoy the best health. They all improve, and are — how could they 
be otherwise ? — happy, and devoted to their kind teachers." 

In August, 1852, Sisters Augustine, Baptist and Charles, from 
the Ursuline Convent of Bank Street, spend a few days, at the 
suggestion of the Archbishop, in the quiet retreat of St. Martin's ; 
while this month is also made memorable by the fact that the 
first young lady from the ranks of the pupils of the school. Miss 
Mary Morgan, is admitted to the novitiate, receiving the name of 
Sister Francis. Almost each succeeding year there were other fol- 
lowers in the footsteps of Sister Francis. In August, 1853, Miss 



I04 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Anna Haughton, who had been received into the Church the previous 
year, obtained from her mother the permission to gratify a long cher- 
ished desire to visit again the Convent she loved so well. She had 
in the secret of her heart listened long to the voice which called her 
to rank herself among the chosen ones of our Lord, and here she 
finds that, to be obedient to that voice, she must remain and not 
return again to the fond embrace of the mother she had just left. 
But the pain, the agony, she would cause that dear mother ! With 
eyes flooded in tears, and a heart torn with conflicting emotions, she 
begs Notre Mere not to send her away, but to admit her into this 
blessed company of St. Ursula on the coming Festival of the Assump- 
tion. Her sister Lucy, backed by the influence of good Father 
Cheymol who accompanies her, accedes to Anna's request of going 
down to her mother to ask the required consent. But all her efforts 
are useless, neither the prayers of the good Archbishop, nor the remon- 
strances of her friends can obtain it, nor keep Mrs. Haughton from 
going herself to St. Martin's to bring back her child and rescue 
her from such a danger. But the brave girl, while recognizing her 
mother's rights, knew that the call of God to leave her was stronger 
than the strong cords of a mother's love, and she followed the voice, 
which afterwards, in virtue of her sacrifice, spoke not less clear 
and loud to the mother's heart, and led her also into the one fold 
of Christ's holy Church. This grace was granted her just before 
her holy death, in 1857. 

The scholastic year of 1852 closed, as usual, with much satis- 
faction to all concerned; — there are now over fifty boarders, and 
the day free-school of the parish is well attended. The novices 
are sufficient in number to allow the exercises of the house to be 
carried on with regularity. 

No event of importance occurs during the winter and spring 
months of 1853 until about the fifteenth of March, when a violent 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. IO5 

storm bursts over the surrounding country, tearing up many of the 
trees, breaking windows and throwing down several chimneys, the 
damage in all amounting to about three hundred dollars. On the 
seventeenth of May, another, less violent, spent its fury in breaking 
down the wooden bridge crossing Solomon's Run, proving itself a 
blessing in disguise in this way, that it secured another built of stone 
instead of the rickety wooden structure it replaced. 

An improvement made before the close of '53 was that of erect- 
ing a handsome porch at the entrance door, to replace the steps of 
rough lumber which had preceded it. The painting of the interior 
woodwork was also continued, and thus a wise and cautious Mother, 
little by little, provided for the comfort of the community without 
leaving it a burden of debt, to hinder its advancement in coming 
years. 

The saintly Bishop Baraga, who had labored so zealously among 
the Indians round the Great Lakes, was brought by His Grace to 
visit the Convent, during the month of November, 1853. It was on 
this visit that the good Archbishop appeared most unceremoniously at 
the door of the refectory, whilst the nuns were at supper. Although 
the apparition was a most unexpected one, they recovered sufficient 
presence of mind to carry them through the ordeal of His Grace's 
visit, and the good Father left the refectory, not only well satisfied 
with the menu, but still better with the pleasant discomfiture of the 
religious, which he knew so well how to enjoy. 

This year witnessed the holy profession of Sister St. Clare 
Healy, and of the cousins, Sister Anne Labrousse and Sister Mar- 
tha Labrousse, their vows being received by the Most Reverend 
Archbishop early in January. 

A most evident trait, not only of the refined nature of Mother 
Julia, but of her strong spirit of faith, was that which marked her 
entertainment of bishops and priests. Convinced that their coming 



Io6 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

brought untold blessings to the house, every ingenuity was used dur- 
ing their stay to make their visits agreeable. It was, then, with great 
joy that she was granted, on the twenty-fourth of April, 1854, ^^^ 
distinguished honor of entertaining the Most Reverend Archbishop, 
Bishop Rappe, of Cleveland ; Bishop O'Connor, of Pittsburgh ; Bishop 
Spalding, of Louisville, and the newly consecrated Bishop Young, of 
Erie. In presenting the community to them she begged that they 
might all give their benediction at once. How touching a scene in 
the sight of Heaven when these five holy prelates, with hands out- 
stretched upon the humble daughters of St. Angela, kneeling before 
them, begged that the blessing of the Triune God — Father, Son and 
Holy Ghost — might descend upon them and remain with them forever ! 

The Telegraphy of April 29th, says, in speaking of this event : 
'' The good sisters and pupils were delighted with the unexpected 
honor of a visit from so many distinguished prelates. Owing to the 
suddenness of their visit, it was not expected that any entertainment 
beyond the ordinary Brown County hospitality could be prepared for 
them, but the zeal and talents of the sisters defeated this anticipation. 
In the evening, with an array and disposition of lights and scenery 
that seemed to have been studied for months, a number of Tableaux 
Vivants were represented in the programme, of which the following 
appeared : — 

The Mother's Surprise. The Child of Prayer. 

The Schoolmistress. 
Balthasar — in four scenes. The Guardian Angel. 

After this exhibition, Right Reverend Bishop Rappe officiating, 
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given in the Convent 
chapel. Three of the Right Reverend Prelates paid a visit to Fayette- 
ville, and partook of the hospitality of the Reverend C. Daly, pastor 
of that place. 

All expressed themselves delighted with their visit and full of 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. IO7 

admiration for the excellent institution, which has already been so 
full of benediction for this diocese. They return to the city on Wed- 
nesday." 

The interesting character of the exercises given at the annual 
Distribution of Premiums had attracted such crowds of visitors, and 
were looked upon by the public as so elevating in their tendency to 
the minds and hearts of the manv who witnessed them in the halls 
of the Convent, that it was deemed a wise and necessary measure, 
by the Superiors of the house, to devise some means by which greater 
space could be secured for the rendition of the usual programme and 
for the accommodation of the guests. Many of the respectable citizens 
of the neighboring counties and towns, who knew nothing of the 
nature of the Catholic religion except to hold its name in holy abhor- 
rence, witnessed these exhibitions, and went away with the conviction 
that a school showing such results must be constituted under, and 
governed by, principles true in their nature and correct in their 
applications, and that they could unhesitatingly entrust their children's 
education to the direction of those who were guided by them. For 
the purpose, then, of securing sufficient room, a temporary hall was 
improvised on the grounds, until the limited means of the community 
would permit them to erect a more substantial building for this 
purpose. 

Under a large tent, one hundred feet long by forty wide, in the 
space now occupied by the gas house and the noble linden trees, on 
a beautiful July day in 1854, were gathered the pupils and visitors, 
the actors and audience, of this first al fresco exhibition day. As to 
the merits of the programme, and the appreciation of the audience, 
we again glean our information from the official organ of the diocese : 
"The magic charm that lights upon everything said or done at the 
Academy of the Fayetteville Ursulines, was this year more magical 
than ever. The exhibition took place under a tent in the open air. 



I08 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

raised about ten feet from the ground, the platform on which the 
pupils were placed, raised still higher, and so arranged as almost to 
make one forget the vertical sun that was pouring his burning rays 
on all outside that bright but cool enclosure. The dramatis personce 
of the play of "The Sorceress of the Village," the Misses Mary 
Snowden, Lily White, Mary Townsend, Susan Bradley and Agnes 
Wilson, of New Orleans, Ravenswood, Va., and Cincinnati, and their 
companions, drew peals of laughter and applause from the audience ; 
whilst the coronation of the graduate, Miss Ada Hoskins, which took 
place amidst flowers, poetry and graces the most exquisite, excited 
the admiration of the assembled multitude and drew tears of sympa- 
thy and delight from even other eyes than those of a devoted parent 
and uncle. But we should never have done if we spoke of the little 
Misses Woodworth, the little Misses Gross, Miss Clague, of New 
Orleans, Miss Mary Cody, of Cincinnati, the Misses Matson and 
Misses Kearney, of Covington, Miss Eggert, Miss Ewing and Miss 
Van Trump, of Lancaster, and many others whose names will be 
found among the lists of successful candidates for literary and other 
honors. At the close of the exercises, the Reverend Mr. Butler made 
some feeling and appropriate remarks, and gave some salutary admon- 
itions to the young folks, and congratulated the faithful and able sis- 
ters upon their devotedness and success." 

During the vacation, Mother Joseph Woulfe and Mother Baptist 
Lynch made an eight days' visit to their sisters of Brown County, with 
the view of making some decision in a most important matter. It had 
long been the wish of the Most Reverend Archbishop that the Ursu- 
lines of Bank Street should unite with those of Brown County, and 
form but one community, as there was question of the dissolution of 
that of Cincinnati and of its members returning to the mother house 
of Black Rock, near Cork. Both desiring to accede to the wishes of 
the zealous Prelate, who was loth to lose the services of these talented 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. IO9 

ladies in the education of the young in his diocese, it was finally 
agreed that such of their numbers as would so desire should make 
their future home in Brown County. Accordingly, about the end of 
October, Mother de Sales Coleman, Mother Ursula Dignum, accom- 
panied by Sister Catherine Pohlman, Sister Joanna Rowland, Sister 
Monica Coffey and Sister Teresa Lamb, affiliated themselves to the 
Brown County community. They were joined, early in the spring of 
1^55? by Mother Joseph Woulfe, Mother Charles Maloney and Mother 
Baptist Lynch, the first two mentioned having just arrived from 
Ireland, whither they had gone on the disbanding of the community, 
while Mother Baptist had joined them on her way from the Ursuline 
Convent of New Orleans. They rendered great services to the com- 
munity as accomplished teachers and most edifying religious, until 
they were called to other fields of labor in the cities of Springfield, 
111., and Columbia, S. C. 

The choir novices admitted to Holy Profession on November 
21, 1854, were Sister Agnes McGee, and Sister Francis Morgan, the 
latter mentioned before as being the first boarder blessed with a 
vocation to the novitiate. 

The scholastic year closed, as we have seen with great success, 
and school was resumed again in September '54, with sixty boarders. 

The winter and spring of '54-'55 passed without incident other 
than already noted ; but the beautiful May month brought a visit 
from the friend of former years, the Very Reverend Father Mache- 
boeuf, now Vicar General of Santa Fe. The pupils had prepared 
the beautiful play of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and the holy missionary 
sat in their midst, as pleased and happy in listening to their simple 
plays as if he knew nothing of the danger and sins of border life 
and Indian camps, or the hardships of travel over desert plains. 

The Distribution this year of 1855 seems to have given more 
than usual pleasure to the patrons, and to the distinguished prelates 



no FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

of Cincinnati and Detroit, Right Reverend Bishop Lefevre and Very 
Reverend Mr. Ferneding and other clergymen present. After the 
Valedictory delivered by Miss Juliet Rogers, Judge J. W. Piatt, of 
Cincinnati — whose daughter Arabella was among the pupils — at the 
request of the Most Reverend Archbishop, made a few remarks to 
the audience, expressing in his own name, and that of all present, 
the respect, the veneration and gratitude due to the devoted sisters 
under whose careful tuition the young ladies had reached the height 
of excellence which their exhibition displayed. From the rare success 
of the sisters' schools in this country, he took occasion to advert to the 
completeness of the Catholic religion, which is adapted to all phases of 
civilization ; equal to any exigency in the social condition. After he 
was seated, the Most Reverend Archbishop said a few words to de- 
clare the satisfaction of the Right Reverend Bishop of Detroit, as well as 
his own, with all parts of the exhibition. As the country was just then 
passing through the highest stage of the Know-Nothing political ex- 
citment, he made use of the opportunity to say, that though many of 
them were not of the Catholic religion, he could not but eulogize the 
good sense and liberality of sentiment, the fearless adherence to princi- 
ple, which their parents and guardians manifested in disregarding popu- 
lar prejudices in the selection of the best schools for their children. 

On the morning following the exhibition, the Most Reverend 
Archbishop, the Right Reverend Bishop of Detroit, the Very Reverend 
J. Ferneding and Dr. Rosecrans, who had stopped at the beautiful 
"Rose Cottage," departed for the city. 

The annual retreat, which closed on the Feast of the Assumption, 
was preached by Reverend Father Dubleek, S. J., and on August 28th 
the obligations of the holy vows of religion were assumed by Sister 
Bridget McCarthy and Sister Claudine Lynch. September brought back 
the merry troop of school girls, who had closed their books in July, ready 
again for the work and fun and frolic, which with the sweet atmos- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. Ill 

phere of God's love and protection that enveloped their woodland 
home, gave a joy to their young life that has since soothed many a 
sorrow in the more responsible duties that the yet unveiled future 
had in store for them. 

Of the rosary of years, which the community has since completed 
and offered as a crown of good works for the brow of its Immacu- 
late Mother and Queen, one decade has now passed, — gone, with 
naught but notes of triumph and praise sounding through the years, 
for the mercies and blessings they have brought. But the second 
decade opens with a minor chord underlying the harmony of its 
swelling strains. For in the little chapel — where for so long only the 
triumphant notes of the Te Deum have been sung over prostrate 
forms — the sad strains of the Requiem are echoed back, one bleak 
morning in February, and the lifeless form of death's first victim is 
laid beneath the spotless covering of snow in the little graveyard. 
Sister St. Claire Healy had long been declining in health, and 
months before, physicians had declared her case to be one of 
incurable pulmonary consumption. With youth and energy of will 
she had fought bravely at her post in the class room and music 
room, but months before, she knew that she must die, and at last, 
after much suffering, she breathes forth her pure soul to God, on the 
second of February, 1856. She had but reached the early age of 
twenty-two when God called her from her earthly work in the com- 
munity, to assist it by her intercession among the saints of God. But 
whilst one was taken from earth to heaven, four were added to the 
number of workers, by the Holy Profession, on March 31st, of Sister 
Margaret Halloran and Sister Patricia English, and on June 12th 
Sister Philomena Haughton and Sister Alphonse Wise. 

Miss Mary Townsend was the valedictorian of the year, and 
delighted all at the institution by the evidences of her musical talent 
on harp and piano. 



112 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

During the vacation, the little chapel and sanctuary were frescoed 
in delicate colors and simple designs, while the corridors and class 
rooms were beautified by the painter's art. 

The violent storms — either cyclones or of cyclonic nature — which 
of late years have visited the valley of the Miami — were in those early 
days almost unknown. On October 3d, in this year of 1856, however, 
the country round the Convent was visited by one very destructive in 
its effects ; trees uprooted and outbuildings overthrown, and the 
brick building used as a laundry was one-half unroofed. Notre Mere, 
with the words of the morning office : " Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, 
frustra vigilat qui custodit eam^^ daily on her lips, hourly in her heart, 
offered special prayers of thanksgiving to God, and renewed the 
vigilance and precautions — ever alert against dangers of fire and storm. 

When the warm April showers came, in the spring of 1857, to 
loose the springing grass from the grasp of the ice-bound earth, and 
dot the woods and meadows round the Convent with the rose-tinted 
spring beauty, the pale anemone and the blue violet, there was a day 
of mourning within its walls. This time, death summons, not the 
gentle novice of twenty summers, but the faithful servant of God, 
who had spent well nigh a century of years in His blessed service, — 
Mrs. Joanna Purcell, who died at "Rose Cottage," the home of Mrs. 
Corr, near the Convent. The story of her death is thus told in the 
Catholic Telegraphy by the Reverend Editors : — 

" Of your charity, pray for the soul of Mrs. Joanna Purcell, who 
died suddenly, on Wednesday, April 15th, at 4 o'clock, a.m., at 'Rose 
Cottage,' near the Ursuline Convent, Brown County, Ohio. In August 
of last year, she had received the last Sacraments, but soon recovered — 
apparently — to perfect health. Three weeks ago she received the Holy 
Communion ; and she had the happiness of receiving the last absolution 
and indulgence from Dr. Rosecrans, who was providentially in the cot- 
tage at the time of her departure." 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. II3 

It is unnecessary to speak of the virtues of the deceased. Had she 
lived until the first of May, she would have completed her ninety- 
second year. Her long life was a preparation for eternity. May she 
rest in peace !" 

Dr. Rosecrans immediately hurried to the city to acquaint the 
Archbishop and Father Purcell with their sad bereavement, and on 
the following day, the sixteenth, His Grace, accompanied by Father 
Wood, arrived to officiate at the last rites of the Church over the 
lifeless, beloved form. The strong maternal heart that had always 
gone out to him in loving embrace was stilled, and reverently he 
knelt beside her, his eyes bathed in tears, to kiss the hands that 
had so often caressed her most loved and loving son. Slowly and 
tenderly the remains were carried by the parishoners of St. Mar- 
tin's to the little church, where the assembled nuns, bearing lighted 
tapers, and the pupils in long white veils, were waiting to accom- 
pany the procession to the little graveyard. A solemn Requiem 
was celebrated by the Archbishop, while Father Wood delivered a 
few heartfelt words, remarking how much in keeping with the 
refined tastes and humble soul of the deceased mother were the 
simple but beautiful surroundings of her funeral. As the procession 
wound slowly to the little cemetery, the Archbishop chanted the 
Miserere with the sisters, and when all was over, walked back to 
the presbytery with Father Wood. 

Thus passed from earth to heaven a woman of no ordinary 
mould ; a valiant woman, who gave to the Church sons who rose 
up and called her blessed, and whose zeal and learning and piety 
made them shining lights in the early church of the United States ; 
a woman who, of humble rank in her own persecuted and down- 
trodden country, had been raised to the highest social dignity which 
could be bestowed upon her by the munificence of Christ's Vicar 



114 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

on earth. Most deeply did the community feel the honor which 
His Grace conferred upon them, in thus giving the sacred remains 
of his saintly mother to their keeping, and most jealously do they 
guard the spot where, with her little family by her side, she and 
they await the joys of a glorious resurrection. 

In the summer of this year, the Reverend Father Cheymol 
sailed for France, thus taking a much needed rest from the hard 
labors of almost twenty years of missionary life, revisiting the friends 
of his youth and an only sister, a religious of the Visitation 
Order at Riom, 

The Distribution exercises were well attended, and the Vale- 
dictory delivered in a feeling and graceful manner by Miss Snow- 
den of New Orleans. 

Brown County has been exclusively engaged during these first 
twelve years of its existence, in gathering to herself a sufficient 
number of members to satisfy the ever increasing demand for 
laborers. But they have now increased to the number of twenty, 
professed with a goodly number of novices, and whispers are heard 
that a foundation has been asked for by the Bishop of Alton, 111. 
Two members of the Bank Street community. Mother Joseph Woulfe, 
Mother de Sales Coleman, and one of Brown County, whose pro- 
fession we have noticed. Sister Aloysia, with three lay sisters, are 
selected for the expected mission. They leave in August 1857, 
and are located by Right Reverend Bishop Juncker, at Springfield, 
the capital of Illinois. In a few days they are joined by Mother 
Charles Maloney, who replaces Sister Aloysia. 

Three novices are admitted to holy profession November 10, 
1857, Sister M. Teresa Sherlock, and Sister M. Dolores O'Brien 
of Rochester, and Sister Elizabeth Mahoney. The Archbishop cele- 
brated the Mass, assisted by Fathers Gacon and Cheymol, and 
preached from the 83d psalm. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. II 5 

The yth of June, 1858, was made memorable in the annals 
of the Convent, as on that day, the elections for Officers of the 
community, which are by rule Iri-ennial, were held for the first 
time. Notre Mere has now begun her thirteenth year of office, 
and it would seem that she might claim some respite from its 
duties and responsibilities, but yielding to the urgent wishes of her 
sisters as well as to the judgment of the Most Reverend Archbishop, 
she consents to a re-election. Mother Stanislaus is chosen Assis- 
tant, and Mother Saint Peter, Zelatrice and Treasurer. 

That dreaded disease, consumption, so common in our American 
climate, bore away another beloved novice to the little cemetery covered 
with the winter snows, for on the night of February ist. Sister 
Alphonse Wise was summoned to her eternal reward. Long and 
patiently she fought against its wasting inroads upon her delicate 
frame, but having done a great work in a short life, she was ad- 
mitted to the repose of the Saints, in the happy childhood of her 
religious life. Another victim followed in a few months after. 
Sister Elizabeth Mahoney, who had been professed but a few 
months before. May these blessed souls intercede for us before 
the throne of God ! 

The Distribution exercises were rendered more interesting than 
usual, by the rendition of a play, written expressly for the young 
ladies, by the skillful and racy pen of Dr. Rosecrans, who was 
now living at the Cathedral, and holding the position of Editor 
of the Telegraph with Father Purcell. The music, drawing, paint- 
ing and needle work receive their meed of praise. Miss Mary 
O'Connor of Pittsburg, spoke with much grace and dignity a most 
sensible and feeling Valedictory, and the Reverend Editor closes 
his remarks by giving an invitation to all to go and see for them- 
selves the beauties of the exhibition. ** Don't mind the roads, or 
other inconveniences, which .will all be "reformed" next year, and 



Il6 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

even if they were not, who is so effeminate as to heed the trouble 
when he thinks of the pleasure. Rome is all the finer, for its 
desolate access the Campagna." 

Another foundation is applied for this year, by the lately conse- 
crated Bishop of Charleston, who preached the retreat for the re- 
ligious. His accomplished and learned Sister, Mother Baptist 
Lynch is selected as the head of the new Colony, and with Mother 
Ursula Dignum, both formerly of the Ursulines of Bank St., with 
two or three lay sisters, leave for the South in August. Bishop 
Lynch opens for them a fine and commodious house in Columbia, 
South Carolina. It was a most flourishing Academy at the break- 
ing out of the Civil war, and though it met with many and 
untold trials and reverses, resulting from this terrible struggle, it 
is still flourishing and prosperous in the capital of South Carolina. 

The holy vows of religion were pronounced this year, Febru- 
ary 1st, by Sister Genevieve Wood, of Rochester, and Sister Mary 
Ann Torpy, August nth. In both cases they were received by 
the Most Reverend Archbishop, who preached on the occasion. 

As the young ladies had been so fortunate the preceding year 
'57-'58, as to enlist the talent of Dr. Rosecrans in writing the 
drama for the Distribution exercises, they had every reason to feel 
proud this year of the distinguished honor conferred upon them in 
eliciting a beautiful production from the pen of the poet-priest, 
Reverend Xavier Donald McLeod. An author of no mean fame, 
and by God's Grace a convert to the faith, from his first intro- 
duction to Brown County, by the Archbishop, he proved a most 
genial visitor and an interested friend in all that concerned its 
welfare. Recognizing in some of the pupils, dramatic talent of no 
mean order, he wrote for this especial occasion, the commence- 
ment of 1859, the beautiful drama of " Haroun al Rasheed, or 
the Just." With most kindly interest, he came to the Convent a 



P^IFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. II7 

day or two before its rendition, to be present at a rehearsel, and 
to make any suggestions which might aid in its proper representa- 
tion. After the exercises were over, he wrote for the Telegraph 
a most beautiful description of the Convent, which he afterwards 
embodied in his beautiful work, " Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 
in North America." These exquisite thoughts from his poetic pen 
speak the beauty of the poet's soul and heart, which so enhances 
surroundings, commonplace and dull to minds not gifted with the 
finer powers of fancy. He writes : 

" Col. Monroe, of South Carolina, who spoke a few kind 
words at the end of the exhibition, likened this place very beauti- 
fully and appropriately to the Happy Valley of Rasselas, a valley 
in, but not of the world. We would rather liken it to the moun- 
tain top, as being more isolated and higher up, — nearer to God 
than valleys are or may be. Mountain top or valley, this place 
is clearly the result of the traditional recollection of Eden. The 
broad plains covered with corn, vineyards and orchards, or lying in 
the wide sheets of dark green meadows, daisy-spotted and arabesqued 
by brooks ; the stately calm nobleness of ancient forests, linden 
and oak and maple and locust ; then through all this the humm- 
ing of bees and golden beetles in the noon ; and the flashing of 
phosphoric fire-flies, diamond like, luminous in the dusk, and the 
constant varied song of unhunted birds, — from the pure sweet 
whistle of the golden yellow-bird, through robin and red-bird, 
quail-pipe, screech of the blue jay, low coo of purple-throated dove, 
to the various utterances of the redish mocking bird, and the jolly 
sweet rollicking don't care-a-rap-for-anybody song of the intoxicated 
bob-o-link, rocking on a mullen top." 

"First you see the little church, usually with half a dozen birds 
upon its cross, making you think of ''Ecce enim passer invenit domum 
&c. Behold the sparrow hath found her a house, and the turtle dove 



'I I 



Il8 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

a nest where she may lay her youngs even Thine altars^ Lord God 
of Hosts, my Lord and m,y God.' Then you see the presbytery, 
where two holy priests, Fathers Gacon and Cheymol, have, like their 
Master, been doing good for twenty years, and then you see amid 
the trees the noble Convent of the devoted daughters of St. Ursula." 

Go in there, and you will be received with a rare courtesy 
and a pure sweetness of Christian politeness that our poor world 
has lost entirely ; for here is still living that sacred root, from 
which alone true courtesy can spring, abnegation of self. 

Well, let us suppose you arrive about three o'clock in the 
afternoon (we had a magnificent shower between twelve and one, 
and the drops still sparkle and quiver on the grass blades), you 
enter the hall and diverge thence into the parlor, where the 
beautiful needle or pencil work of the young ladies claims your 
attention. There you may examine that chasuble and Benediction 
veil, delicately splendid in white and embroidered gold ; or those 
gay butterfly opera cloaks; or ^'Csesar's Commentaries," in oils, up 
there ; or the Italian scene in chenille just opposite ; or those Roman 
and Greek heads ; or that grand Saint Theresa, so finely done in 
crayon ; or the jargonelle pears on their glass dishes ; or the table 
with its handsome leather work, from which you might devour those 

pears, or the grand doll dresses, from the nimble fingers of the 
little fellows ; or the slipper patterns, making the gouty man sigh 
for prospective joy. 

Then you run out of that, through the house and under the 
sheltering canvas, where the crowds are, and thus you see the 
Most Reverend Archbishop, and the Reverend Father, Rector 
of St. Xavier's, and the Father Superior of Mt. St. Mary's and 
another clergyman, and behind and around them a large crowd 
of ladies and gentlemen, parents or friends of the pupils, and 
beyond these again the crowd of country people, for whom this is 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. II 9 

a great annual holiday, whereunto they flock from miles around. 

But the Overture is over and the curtain swept back. There 
clothed in white, — pure, fresh, full of health, — sit the young girls, 
a flower-garden of immortal souls, all, please God, destined for 
the upper and eternal Paradise. Now they are to show their 
proficiency in music, vocal and instrumental, and in rhetorical 
exercises. The beautiful programme was rendered, the " Last 
Words," spoken by Miss Susan Freaner, who was graduated with 
Miss Annette Rogers, and now all is over, — ^brought to an end by 
a piece spoken by a plump little four-year-older, little Annie Haire, 
who, by the way received a magnificent premium for being good; 
no small matter, when deserved, my tall friends : the merchant 
and lawver I 

It was — by the united voices of all present, of individuals, 
when the excitement was over next morning, and by our own 
notoriously cool and critical judgment — an exhibition of singular 
unity in excellence. At its close, Col. Monroe spoke with South- 
ern ellegance and dignity of expression, carrying out his figure 
of the Prince of Abyssinia, describing the softening eflfects of the 
scene upon his own heart, and noticing, eloquently, the power of 
purity in education, confined to Catholic educational convents. Then 
followed a few words from the Most Reverend Archbishop, giving 
thanks to the children, their pious instructors, and, above all, to God. 
Upon the heads of all present, he invoked the blessings of the Holy 
Trinity, and then all knelt to say the Angelus. 

So it was over. Away went girls and patient sisters to a live- 
long night of trunk-packing ; and the early wind of the morning 
scattered the pupils like rose-leaves in every direction. 

"Mother Mary be beside them — 
Ivead and guide them 
Reassembled to that shore, 
Where uo pain, no parting cometh, ever, evermore." 



I20 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



The first pain of parting with a beloved pupil was brought home 
to the heart of Notre Mere and her sisters this year. Two young 
girls, Mary and Sarah Bennett had been confided to her loving care, 
the elder of whom, Mary, contracted a severe cold during the spring 
of 1859, which at last attacked the lungs and developed into con- 
sumption. Tender nursing could not stay the hand of death, and, 
after a lingering illness, from February to September 21st, it stilled 
the heart-strings of the bright young life, and her remains were laid 
to rest in the little graveyard, — the first of the four pupils who rest 
within the sacred enclosure, — followed by the nuns and her younger 
sister, who still deplores her loss. 





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CHAPTER VI. 



i860 — 1870. 




F any one member of the religious family growing 
I larger every year, by the admission and profession of 
new subjects, were asked to name the event which 
stands most strongly marked in the annals of i860, 
the answer would point unhesitatingly to the erection of the second 
building. The increase in numbers of religious and pupils made 
this an imperative necessity. And when such necessities arose, 
the kind Providence that had so far removed every difficulty stand- 
ing in the way of their being supplied, was again at hand, to 
dispense the requisite means. A novice entered in 1858, who 
brought to the community in her person, not only intellectual gifts 
of a high order, with corresponding energy and capability of en- 
durance, but also a dower sufficient to enable Notre Mere to 
entertain hopes of the realization of her long cherished desire of 
building. For three purposes accommodations were most loudly de- 
manded, — first of all, a larger chapel ; next, a hall in which the 
commencement exercises could be held, — and sleeping rooms for 

the religious. After much consideration, it was decided to erect a 

(121) 



122 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

building of three stories, the upper of which, a large Commence- 
ment hall, would serve during the year as a temporary chapel, 

until such time as" another could be built, as worthy of the Divine 

worship as the aggregated means of future years of labor and 

economy could make it. 

Plans were made out early in 1859, ^^^ ^^^ work of burning 
brick and quarrying stone carried on until the laying of the foun- 
dations in the spring of that year. Work continued all through 
the summer, and carpenters and plasterers fitted the interior, so 
that it was ready for the annual Commencement Exercises of i860. 
We glean from the Telegraph of February i8th, i860, a notice of 
the profession of Sister Michel, in which the new building is spoken 
of: "Miss Susan Bradley, for ten years a pupil of the Ursuline 
Institute, was admitted to her solemn profession, on the 2nd of 
February. The Most Reverend Archbishop preached. Reverend Dr. 
Rosecrans, the Reverend Superior, Claude Gacon, and Reverend 
Father Cheymol assisted on the interesting occasion. The name 
of the professed in religion is Sister Michel. The pupils of the 
Academy are all in the enjoyment of fine health and spirits, not- 
withstanding the hard winter. The new building is closed in, and 
bids fair to be completed in July." 

These anticipations we find happily realized, and on July loth 
a large and appreciative audience from the West and South, filled 
the new hall to witness the rendition of the elaborate programme 
prepared for the occasion. Again we find Father McLeod and 
Gen. Scammon, both members of the faculty of St. Mary's Semi- 
nary, lending their aid in the most kindly manner. Father McLeod 
gave from the field of his ever-fertile imagination, a beautiful pro- 
duction as a Prologue, in which the purposes for which the new 
hall was to serve, were most aptly brought out, while Gen. Scam- 
mon used his well-known artistic skill in engrossing on parchment, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 23 

an edict in Latin, to be used in the play of "The Syrian Mother." 
The notices of the press praise highly the exquisite specimens of 
drawing in crayon and India ink and oil colors, as also the beau- 
tiful embroidery which seemed especially to fascinate all. " A suit 
of vestments, by Miss Jennie Springer, opera cloaks by Miss Ball 
and Miss O'Donnell, and works of rare merit by the Misses 
Button and Kate Magevney, shared in the general delight and 
admiration. The crayon drawings by Miss Margaret Scammon, 
were remarkably fine. In addition to all this, we can not forget 
the exquisite music, vocal and instinimental, which distinguished 
this memorable and happy day at the Ursuline Academy. At 
the conclusion of the exercises, short addresses were delivered 
by Judge Carter, of Indiana, by the Right Reverend Bishop 
of Natchez and Fort Wayne, and the Archbishop. The gradu- 
ates were Miss Frances Molyneux, and Miss Kate Magevney, the 
latter delivering a beautiful Valedictory." 

This Commencement was memorable also in the fact that the 
Right Reverend Bishop of Natchez, mentioned above, made on this 
day his first visit to the Convent, that in after years was to be 
under his spiritual jurisdiction, and to share his most kind interest 
and paternal solicitude. A reporter for the Cincinnati Commercial 
gave some witty turns to the incidents of the day, and says, 
'* that if the prelates in whose company we traveled can pray as 
fervently as they laughed, we would have great faith in the effi- 
cacy of the prayers." He also says: "The general features of 
the Institution are entirely different from those of any educational 
establishment we have ever visited. It approaches more closely to 
those descriptions given of European schools, in which ladies of 
the higher classes are trained, than to any we have seen in this 
country, and as such it is worth the careful study of all interested 
in education. We must also confess our mistaken idea of nuns : 



124 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

we had pictured to ourselves a community of bilious old maids, on 
the contrary we found them quiet, affable, intelligent and gentle 
ladies, with numerous accomplishments, well fitted to adorn any 
rank in life, and in no wise differing from their worldly Sisters, 
save in seclusion and dress." 

Thus the brilliant closing of the scholastic year 1859- 1860 ^^re- 
shadowed nothing of the apprehension and anxiety that marked 
the opening months of the succeeding term. The John Brown 
Raid in 1859, ^^^ ^^ November of this year, the election of Presi- 
dent Lincoln pointed ominously to the conflict which was fast ap- 
proaching, and as many pupils were residents of the South and 
Southwest, the fortunes of the Convent must needs share in those of 
its patrons. But with that prudence and charity which are so emi- 
nently the marks of the true love of God, Notre Mere forbade 
among the pupils all talk of the coming troubles, and all politi- 
cal controversy on sectional questions. One of the French Nuns 
wittily remarked upon this fact, "nous primes pour boucher la priere !" 
Would that this bouchee were more frequently resorted to as a 
remedy, and it would stop many of the great and little social ills 
caused by the unruly member in every state of society. The 
winter and spring of 1 860-1 861 are full of rumors of war, culmina- 
ting finally in open declaration. On account of the disturbed state 
of the country, the inconvenience of travel arising from the mov- 
ing of bodies of troops over the railroads, and for other pru- 
dential reasons, it was deemed best not to have a public Distribu- 
tion, and all were satisfied with an informal close of school early 
in July. 

A visit from the Most Reverend Archbishop on April 23rd, 
brought a joyful day to many, as His Grace administered the 
Holy Sacrament of Confirmation to some of the pupils and many 
of the children of the parish of St. Martin's. The same morning 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 25 

witnessed the profession of three Sisters, Sister Liguori Hammer, 
Sister Ambrosia Kelly, and Sister Anthony Griffith. The Telegraph 
says of this happy occasion, that the ceremony was exceedingly 
impressive, that the pupils are in excellent health, the grounds 
have been highly improved, and all looks as happy as an earthly 
paradise. 

But another circumstance occuring just a few days previous 
to the Archbishop's visit, is certainly worthy of record. Early in 
the spring months of 1859, Sister Christine, one of the four lay 
sisters who came from Beaulieu in 1845, showed symptoms of 
disease of the brain, which, before many weeks, developed into 
hopeless insanity. With a sad heart, Notre Mere found herself 
obliged to follow the advice of the physician consulted, to make 
arrangements to send the afflicted sister to Mt. Hope Retreat, 
near Baltimore. Here the good Sisters of Charity in charge of 
the Asylum, lavished every care upon our helpless sister, and in 
the course of the year i860, a great improvement in her men- 
tal condition began to manifest itself. She was allowed to leave 
the ward of the incurables, and after a while, to her great delight, 
she enjoyed the freedom granted to the convalescing. The outcome 
of this favor on the part of the Sisters was that good Sister 
Christine used the liberty given her, to watch the opportunity of 
making her escape from the Retreat, and one bright day in April 
while the Brown County Sisters were at breakfast in the refectory, 
the astounding news was brought to Notre Mere that Sister Chris- 
tine was quietly seated in the kitchen, quite worn out with her 
walk from Fayetteville. The poor soul was almost wild with joy 
at being home once again, and although her return was at first 
a shock, because so unexpected, all hearts went out in compassion 
with her longing desire to be with those she loved. When ques_ 
tioned as to her escape and journey, she said that when the Sister 



126 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

in charge of her had gone to Mass, she walked to the entrance, 
found a bonnet and shawl of a Sister of Charity, and watching 
her chance, made her way to the city of Baltimore. How she 
ever found the depot of the B. & O. no one knows. She spoke 
no English, and all she could say of the route she wished to 
take, was Brown County. When asked by Notre Mere how she 
got her ticket, she would say, " Oh ! Notre Mere, good people 
partouty When the conductor made his rounds and questioned 
her, she answered by pointing to her head and saying "Crazy." 
And thus she traveled from Baltimore to Fayetteville, the passen- 
gers on the train kindly seeing that she did not lack food or 
protection. She lived many years after, and although it was deemed 
better not to clothe her with the religious habit, she was ever 
faithful and exact to her duties of prayer and obedience. We trust 
that her long life of penance, and of the greatest suffering to 
which poor humanity is heir, gained for her an instant entrance 
into the joys of the blessed. 

In the month of June 1861, the Most Reverend Archbishop 
made his decennial visit to Rome, with the intention of remaining 
only until September, on account of the unsettled state of affairs 
in this country. During his absence, the Convent was thrown 
into quite an unusual commotion by the application for a founda- 
tion of religious, to go to Opelousas, La. This was made by 
Archbishop Odin of New Orleans, and the Reverend Father Ray- 
mond was commissioned to apply in person for a sufficient number 
of religious. Notre Mere deciding after much prayer and consider- 
ation, to yield to the solicitations of Father Raymond, Mother 
St. Peter was selected as the Superior of the new house, with 
Mother Hyacinthe for her companion, and a professed novice. 
Sister Vincent. Of the party there were also Sister Rose, Sister 
Jane and Sister Loretto. All were ready by October, and we find 




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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 27 

in the Telegraph of October 29th, a notice of their passing tlirough 
the city. 

"Last week, Reverend Mr. Raymond, formerly of St. Mary's, Bal- 
timore, took with him the pallium which the Archbishop of Cincinnati 
brought from Rome, for the Most Reverend Dr. Odin, Archbishop of 
New Orleans. The same Reverend gentleman also conducted six Ursu- 
lines, who volunteered at the call of Archbishop Odin to found a new 
house of their Order in Opelousas." 

On reaching Opelousas, after some detention, the nuns found 
a house and school ready for their acceptance, and during the 
war the Institution was well patronized and maintained. But when 
the struggle was over, many circumstances arose to hinder its 
progress and success, and in the year 1877 it was deemed ad- 
visable that the few members composing it should join other older 
houses of the Order. Mother St. Peter and Mother Hyacinthe 
both of whom had borne the burden of Superiors of the little 
band, returned to Brown County. Mother St. Peter, worn out 
with the fatigues of two missions, soon ended her active life in 
the service of religion, and she sleeps quietly in the little ceme- 
tery with her co-laborers. Mother Julia and Mother Stanislaus. 
Mother Hyacinthe, joyfully welcomed back to the community of 
Boulogne, where she had first been received, is still a prominent 
worker in the large pensionnat of that famous Convent. 

In the course of the year 1861, the building of the new resi- 
dence for Fathers Gacon and Cheymol having been completed, in 
November it w^as ready for their occupation. Well had these 
devoted priests of God earned the hours of repose that were to 
follow the heat and burden of the day, borne so patiently in the 
noon tide of life, and Father Cheymol on entering Father Gacon's 
room for the first time, found him on his knees bathed in tears 
of gratitude to God, for the comforts which he said, surrounded 



128 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

him on all sides. The little frame building of two or three rooms, 
that had first sheltered them, was demolished the following month, 
and the workmen of the farm were more comfortably lodged in 
the house that the good Fathers had just left. 

The Most Reverend Archbishop arriving home from his journey 
to Europe in the month of September, a warm reception was 
made ready for His Grace, on his expected visit in October. 
He had not forgotten his devoted children while in Rome, and 
brought a beautiful gilt crown for the statue of the Blessed Vir- 
gin. The coronation of the little statue in the chapel of the 
Blessed Virgin took place on October i8th, by the hands of the 
Archbishop himself, while the children proceeded thither in pro- 
cession, clad in white, singing hymns in honor of their beloved 
Mother and Queen. 

Darkly the cloud of war hung over the land, when the year 
1862 was ushered into time, and our little world was full of 
rumors of dangers and of anxieties, lest many a loved relative or 
friend should fall in the ranks of those who had gone forth to 
battle, at their country's call. Notre Mere had recourse to her 
usual means of help under all difficulties, and prayers in public, 
long and fervent, were offered that God might, in His Mercy, 
stay the dread tide of battle, and keep it from our doors. These 
anxieties did not in any way interfere with the regular routine of 
Convent life, and we find on Febiniary 5th, four candidates pre- 
senting themselves for holy profession. The Telegraph of Febru- 
ary 1 2th, says : 

** On Wednesday last, the Right Reverend Bishops of Phila- 
delphia and Erie, accompanied by the Archbishop, visited the 
Ursuline community at St. Martin's, Brown County, Ohio, where 
the Right Reverend Bishop Wood received the profession of four 
Sisters, Sister M. Berchmans O'Connor, Sister M. Gertrude O'Reilly, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 29 

Sister Martina Graviere, and Sister Dominic Daly. The brief 
address of the Prelate was most impressive, and the ceremony 
most effecting and interesting to all who had the happiness to 
witness it. The Reverend Messrs Claude Gacon, Superior, and 
his devoted confrere, Abbe Cheymol, were of course, as they always 
are, at their post of usefulness and honor. In the evening the 
pupils of the Academy gave an admirable dramatic entertainment 
to their guests, including singing by five young ladies from Cin- 
cinnati, who had graduated in the Academy, and two gentlemen, 
whose children are in the school. All were, it is needless to say, 
delighted by what they heard and saw at St. Martin's." 

The Most Reverend Archbishop had petitioned in his last visit 
to Rome, that the burden of the vast diocese he had built up, 
might be laid upon younger shoulders, that he might spend his 
coming days in retirement, and preparation for the eternity which 
was ever present before him. But the Holy Father would not 
listen to his pleadings, saying to him, "Nemo salvabitur, nisi per- 
severavit. " *' None will be saved unless he persevere." But he 
selected a young co-adjutor for the aid of this veteran of the field. 
Dr. Sylvester H. Rosecrans, who had been for ten years a most 
valued helper in the diocese of Cincinnati. 

Dr. Rosecrans' name was a household word in Brown County, 
and here he came to spend the time of his retreat preparatory to 
the ceremony of his consecration. Bishops Rappe and Wood 
had sought the same solitude, as did Fathers Macheboeuf and 
Quinlan in later years. His consecration as Bishop of Pompei- 
opolis, in partibus infidelium^ and co-adjutor of Cincinnati took place 
in the Cathedral, March 25th, 1862. 

Here we would fain linger over the many happy hours of the 
pupils of those days, which the presence of these holy friends 
made still happier. The familiar lines which follow, are from the 
gifted pen of the Doctor, which he was ever as ready to use for 



130 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

the amusement of his young friends, as for the more serious duties 
of the ministry, or professor's chair. They will doubtless send a 
smile over many a face now furrowed by life cares, and they will 
recall, too, the talented little musician Rosa Woodworth, afterwards 
Mrs. James McPhillips of Mobile, Ala., who set them to music. 

"Solomon's Run is roaring high 

The Run that used to run so dry, 

You ne'er would have thought it more than I 

That Solomon's Run could be so high! 

The boarding house bridge is swept away, 
With the willow boughs the waters play. 
And the dell with briars and grass once green, 
Is a lake where a hundred isles are seen. 

Solomon's Run, etc. 

Hark! how the yellow billows roar! 
Irike the surf on the North Atlantic shore. 
See the eddying masses of drift 
Sweeping downward arrowy swift. 

Solomon's Run, etc. 

Planks and rails and chunks of wood 
Panels of fence that long have stood, 
Boxes and boards and tufts of grass — 
Oh! the hurrying eddying mass! 

Solomon's Run, etc. 

You can hear the roar through the distant wood 
And see the broadening yellow flood ; 
Perhaps by the break of another day 
A steamboat will come puffing up this way! 

Solomon's Run, etc. 

We'll make a wharf of this rustic bridge, 
Or mount on the top from off the ridge, 
And start it Qfi" on a summer trip 
Exploring Solomon's Run in our ship. 

Solomon's Run, etc. 

And as we go down the width will grow. 
And the depth increase and the turbid flow, 
Be stiller and calmer, degree by degree. 
Till Solomon's Run will become a sea! 

Solomon's Run, etc. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. I3I 

So life's stream broadens as we sail on, 
So the dreams of youth too soon are gone, 
And the head that runs wildly oiF to explore, 
Oft returns to its moorings, alas! no more. 

Solomon's Run, etc. 

Mother most Holy! thine the care 

To watch and ward from us every snare. 

Into thy hands our hearts we lay. 

Hold them sweet Mother, fast we pray! 

Till thy smile shall have chased our gloom away. 

In May, the lately consecrated Bishop preached the annual 
three days retreat to the pupils, continuing this good service yearly, 
until his removal from Cincinnati to the see of Columbus. 

The Distribution of premiums took place this year in the main 
comdor of the convent, and it was consequently very private. 
Miss Julia Worthington of Chillicothe spoke a beautiful valedictory, 
in which she referred in most feeling terms to the gift of faith, 
which through God's Providence, she had found in the Convent. 

This year was marked by a steady course of improvements 
in every department of the house. New ranges in the kitchen, 
lessened the inconveniences of cooking for such a large house- 
hold ; the bay window was substituted for the double door at the 
south end of the main corridor, whilst the cells were completed 
and finished. On June 30th they were blessed by Fathers Gacon 
and Cheymol, and July 2nd the nuns moved from what was 
conventually known as " our corner," into the bright airy rooms 
of the new building. The grounds were also tastefully laid out 
by a most skillful landscape gardener, Mr. Kelly ; the little lake, 
the joy of Ma Mere's heart, was dug, and received in her honor, 
the name of Lake Stanislaus. Not only has it added beauty to 
the landscape, but as a water supply, fed as it is by several 
large springs, its utility^ has been incalculable. 



132 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

May 3rd, a fine set of physical and chemical apparatus was 
added to the appliances of the house for scientific study, and so 
well preserved has it been that much of it is still in use. A large 
electrical machine, an equatorial telescope, air pump with applian- 
ces, apparatus for the illustration of the mechanical powers, a fine 
microscope with polariscope attachment, pneumatic cistern, bags and 
glass receivers for collecting gases, hydrogen jar, Woulfe's bottles, 
retorts, Hessian crucibles, test tubes, with a full assortment of 
chemicals for laboratory experiments, — in fact everything necessary 
for good illustration of the various topics of physics and chemistry 
is included in this equipment. Father Walker, Professor of science 
at Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, very generously gave several days' 
time to the mounting of the different instruments, and trial experi- 
ments for the benefit of the teachers, as well as to test the effii- 
ciency of the various instruments. His invaluable assistance left 
the Sisters under an obligation to him, which they can not repay 
in words. 

All this time the country is alive with the exciting scenes of 
war. These are brought a little more vividly into our secluded 
world, by a visit from Mother St. Peter of Opelousas, about Sep- 
tember 1 2th. En route for France to seek postulants for her 
little community, she has gone through many trying scenes, in 
making her way from the South. She made the journey in a 
vessel from New Orleans to New York, meeting with many in- 
conveniences, owing to its being crowded to excess. Her mission 
to France, however, repaid her zealous efforts, for she returned in 
November with five postulants, two lay sisters and three choir 
sisters. Two of the former pupils of the Convent also accompa- 
nied her to aid in the schools. Miss Lucy Haughton and Miss 
Jennie Birrer. 

The spring of 1863 was a season of anxiety to many hearts, 





BITS OF LANDSCAPE IN 1863. 




BITS OF LANDSCAPE IN 1863. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 33 

owing to the ill health of Notre Mere. Disease of the heart 
complicated by an attack of erysipelas developed to such an ex- 
tent as to give grave subject of alarm, and Dr. Blackman was 
summoned from Cincinnati to consult with Dr. Hall, the resident 
physician, on the treatment of the case. Thanks to an unusually 
strong constitution, she was enabled to battle many a long year 
with this insidious disease, and to make its attacks serve as the 
one of the most edifying marks of the noble patience, and self- 
denial that shone so brightly in her life. 

We turn to the Telegraph for an account of the profession of 
Sister Kostka Chalfant, which took place April 23rd of this year : 

" Sister Mary Kostka, in the world, Laura Chalfans, made her 
solemn profession in the chapel of the Ursuline Convent, Brown 
County, on Thursday morning. Archbishop Purcell presided on 
the occasion. Right Reverend Dr. Rosecrans, Reverend C. Gacon 
and Reverend W. Cheymol were present in the sanctuary. Miss 
Chalfant became a convert to the church about six years ago, and 
has been for three years a postulant and novice in the community 
of St. Martin's. Her brother-in-law. Col. Scott Carter, of Vevay, 
Indiana, who lately returned from his regiment. Third Indiana 
Cavalry, Army of the Potomac, arrived at the Convent on Friday 
morning. It had been many months since our last visit to the 
Convent, and we were much gratified by the improved appearance 
of the adjoining grounds. Forest trees, shrubs, flowers, the taste- 
ful arrangements of lawns and graveled walks, and last but not 
least, an artificial lake, with hundreds of fishes, and a romantic 
islet — the skillful combinations of Mr. Kelly's and other wise heads, 
made of the tout ensemble a veritable fairy scene. The new and 
beautiful chapel has recently been furnished with an organ, the 
gift mainly of kind pupils of the institution, which, in compass, 
sweetness and variety yields to none of the best from Schwab's 
celebrated factory. 

The young ladies of the Academy entertained their visitors 
with a literary and musical soiree of the highest order of merit; 



134 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

an admirable moral effect, not the least effective for being pleas- 
ant, resulting from the evening's exercises. There are a large 
number of pupils in the Academy, who are destined by the ele- 
gance of their manners, their rare intelligence, and the purity of 
their minds, to grace and bless our best society." 

The new organ mentioned above was the generous gift of 
" the three cousins," as they were then familiarly known in the 
Convent, Miss Mary Jane Foster, Miss Margo Duer, and Miss 
Jennie Springer. About this time also, Miss Jennie Springer built 
and furnished the beautiful little cottage which still adorns the 
grounds, and in which she was ever happy to renew the memory 
of her pleasant school days. 

The Commencement this year, a private one, a very few friends 
being present, consisted of a quiet, classic, elegant entertainment, 
presided over by the Most Reverend Archbishop, with Bishop 
Rosecrans, Fathers Gacon, Cheymol and Button attending. About 
his time the crown and star, which have since become the distinc- 
tive mark of the Brown County graduate, were bestowed upon the 
young ladies of this class. The march was also introduced this 
year as one of the most popular features of the Distribution. Miss 
Margaret Scammon and Miss Sarah Button of Cincinnati were 
the only members graduated. 

The opening of the classes in September brought a large in- 
crease of pupils, and changes whereby room might be gained, 
became necessary. It was determined to move the chapel to the new 
Bistribution hall, and on October 4th the Holy Mass was cele- 
brated for the first time in the more spacious and appropriate room. 
By the eighth of the same month, the First Bepartment pupils took 
possession of the former chapel, and the opening between it and the 
sanctuary closed in by a lath and plaster partition, the latter formed 
in every way a most suitable room for the Cabinet of physics. The 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. I35 

number of pupils began to run over the hundred, and every device 
possible became necessary for increased room. The Telegraph says in 
speaking of the influx of pupils this year: "This institution steadily 
wins its way to public confidence from year to year. The only 
drawback to its prosperity in past years, was a bad road. Some 
ten thousand dollars are now being expended in the construction 
of a new one, which will be ready for travel as speedily as many 
hands can accomplish the work. It will be two miles shorter 
than the old road from Westboro." 

A most touching incident connected with the cruel war raging 
throughout our land, occurred in the November of this year. A pupil 
of former years, Mrs. Hope, arrived at the Convent from the South 
one dreary evening in the fall, to pour into the tender and sympa- 
thetic ear of Notre Mere, the story of her woes. Her husband 
had fallen in one of the late battles, her home had been burned 
in the strife between the contending forces, and she was left with 
the little girl of two and a half years, that played at her side, 
to battle in the struggle of life, unaided, unprotected, and it might 
be added, unfitted with the necessary qualifications. But her brave 
spirit and her love for her child, buoyed her hope, and after 
Notre Mere's consenting to keep her child until such time as she 
could again give her a mother's care, she bade the little one 
good night. But the baby heart could not live without the 
mother's tender caress and smile, and at a late hour the same night 
it was found necessary to call her to the side of her child. Seeming 
to foresee that her mother would in some way be lost to her, 
she sickened and pined until the little heart-strings lost their power, 
and she slept away into the bosom of the blessed Father, who 
said, " Suffer them to come to Me, for of such is the Kingdom 
of Heaven." She was placed in the cemetery, the only little 
child in the keeping of that God's acre, and her mother went 



136 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

out from the refuge of her Convent home, to begin alone her 
bereaved life. 

The Holy Week of 1864 was more memorable than hereto- 
fore, in the solemn celebration of the beautiful ceremonies of the 
Liturgy, which the new chapel favored on account of its space. 
Hitherto the Repository for Holy Thursday had been arranged 
with a very beautiful and inspiring effect in the small chapel of 
the Blessed Virgin. This year, however, it occupied a space in 
the new chapel at the east end, in front of the organ gallery. 
Here a large platform was erected for the temporary tabernacle, 
closed in by beautiful hangings falling gracefully from the tall 
pillars which supported them. These days of Holy Week and 
the yearly Retreat were always seasons of great grace to the 
pupils and of consolation to those who left nothing undone, which 
could render exterior aid to the kindling of their young hearts' 
worship. The Retreat was preached as usual by Bishop Rosecrans, 
of whose solid and beautiful instructions, the pupils never grew 
weary. 

*' Sister Gonzaga, in the world, Miss Cynthia A. Moran, was 
admitted to her holy profession at St. Martin's on May 12th, 1864, 
by Archbishop Purcell. This community is indebted to Rochester, 
New York for several accomplished novices. The pious mother of 
Sister Gonzaga came to witness her beloved daughter's profession, 
and considered the day the happiest of her life." 

Reverend Mr. Borgess and Reverend Mr. Button, will give St. 
Martin's congregation, the benefit of a mission, from this day until 
next Sunday inclusively." 

Thus reads a notice in the columns of the Telegraphy May i8th. 
There follows also a laudatory account of the Commencement held 
June 30th, presided over by Bishop Rosecrans, as the Archbishop 
was absent at a funeral. After the Distribution, General Rose- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 37 

crans and Judge Thurman, whose children were among the pupils 
of this year, addressed the audience. 

But the good Father was again in the midst of his children 
in November, when three novices were clothed with the holy habit, 
one of them a former pupil, Miss Kate Magevney. *'The visitors" 
says the Telegraphy "were invited by the young ladies of the insti- 
tution to assist at a sacred drama composed by a pupil. It was 
preceded by the Luzerne Toy Vender, sung with magical voice 
and acted with perfect witchery by a sweet child of eleven years, 
whom we shall name Rosalia of Rochester, and followed by a 
poetical address of great merit." 

But in the early spring of 1865, there comes a contrast to the 
fresh joyous life of the budding trees and singing birds, for the 
lifeless form of a child is again carried to the woodland cemetery. 
Katie Duffin, who had been confided to the care of the religious 
several years before, had succumbed to the fatal heart disease 
preying on her weakened frame, and after a long and trying 
illness, she exchanged her young, suffering existence for the never 
ending life and blissful joys of the world above. 

There is a sentiment sweet and consoling to the heart, com- 
ing with the death of an innocent child, something which brings 
heaven and earth in closer and more sensible union, and it may 
be said that this same feeling pervaded the community when told 
that their loved Superior and guide of many years. Father Gacon, 
was stricken with his last illness. Something of the grace and 
sweetness of childhood shines forth in those whose hearts are 
simple, and whose lives are pure, and this distinguishing mark was 
most sensibly felt in the presence of this holy priest. Born at 
Riom, in the diocese of Clermont, in 1797, of pious and exem- 
plary parents, he was imbued from his earliest childhood with the 
love of God, and taught the inestimable grace of keeping un- 



138 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

spotted the garment of innocence received in holy baptism. When 
quite a child, he was taken into special favor for his candor and 
purity of manners, by an aged priest, who had suffered much for 
his faith in the great French Revolution. By this saintly ecclesi- 
astic, whose Mass he daily served, he was inspired with an ardent 
desire of devoting himself to the service of Almighty God, and as 
a preparation for the studies of the priesthood, began his Latin 
lessons with one of the assistants of the good cure. 

After going through the Seminary of Clermont, under the 
direction of those admirable instructors, the Sulpitians, with the 
closest attention to his studies, and in practice of the virtues that 
fitted him for his future state, he was ordained priest at the 
Trinity ordination in 1824, and immediately entered on the zealous 
exercise of the holy ministry. For fourteen years he had labored 
with marked success in the salvation of souls in his native diocese, 
when Archbishop Purcell, passing through Clermont on his way 
to Rome in 1839, ^^^ ^^ quest of laborers for his vast see of 
Cincinnati, represented to him, to his young assistant the Abbe 
Cheymol, his friends, Reverend J. Lamy and P. J. Macheboeuf, 
and other priests of the old and ever faithful Auvergne, the desti- 
tute condition of the church in the great West. Hearing in his 
words the voice of God, they left all things and followed him. 
The voyage over the broad Atlantic was made in company with 
Bishop Purcell, Dr. McGill, afterwards Bishop of Richmond, and 
the venerable Bishop Flaget, who was returning from Europe after 
his memorable visit of four years, from 1835 to 1839. Embarking 
from Havre on the ninth of July, they entered the bay of New 
York after a rather rough voyage, on the twenty-first of August, 
reaching Cincinnati on the ninth of September. We find in an 
old and worn diary, a few notes jotted down in lead pencil by 
Father Gacon, from which we take the following : 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 39 

** Z^ 3 Octobre, le lendemain des Sts. Anges gai'diejis, nous avons 
qjiittes Cincinnati pour a Her dans r eg Use de St. Martin dans le Brown 
County; le 4J'ai dit la Messe pour la paroisse^ j'ai preche a la grande 
Messe, cest la premiere fois que f ai preche dans V Amerique.^'' 

"This parish of St. Martin's was the first and only mission of 
the two friends ; here together they bore the burden of labor of 
fatigue of the bad roads, the rude lodging and the scant coarse 
fare, attending the churches of St. Philomena, Clermont County ; 
St. Patrick's, Fayetteville, and more distant stations, until the 
happy change took place, which, chiefly owing to their zeal, their 
devotedness, their patience and their prayers, we enjoy and admire 
to-day. Later on, other good priests came to divide their labors, 
and for the last twenty years, their spiritual charge has been con- 
fined to the Convent and Academy, and the congregation of St. 
Martin's. It pleased God, who had given twenty-six years of the 
sacerdotal life of his servant to this holy work, to call him to his 
eternal reward on June 2nd. He was attacked by his last illness 
on the feast of his patron, St. Philip Neri, whose life he was 
constantly reading, whose virtues he was constantly proposing for 
imitation in his instructions, and which he himself exemplified, and 
on whose octave day he yielded up his pure soul to his Creator. 
The Archbishop, Reverend Mr. Cheymol, Reverend Mr. Daly, 
Reverend Mr. Button, Mother Julia and Mother Stanislaus and 
Dr. Hall, his devoted physician, were all engaged by his bedside 
in prayer, when he calmly expired, in the perfect possession of 
his mental faculties, and in prayerful communion with heaven. 

Solemn Pontifical Mass was celebrated in the chapel on Satur- 
day morning. Reverend Messrs Daly, Dutton and Cheymol assist- 
ing, while the venerated remains, arrayed in priestly vestments, 
lay in the uncovered coffin, in presence of the sorrowing sister- 
hood, their pupils and the congregation. The sermon was preached 
by the Most Reverend Archbishop. After the Libera, the pro- 
cession proceeded to the retired cemetery, and the earth soon 
closed over the mortal remains of one of the purest, the humblest, 
the most interior of men, and the most enlightened director of 
souls with which this world has been blessed. 



140 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Returning from the grave, every eye sought, every mind thought 
of the faithful friend, the inseparable companion of the deceased, 
for the last twenty-eight years, Reverend Mr. Cheymol, now left 
to finish — we shall not say the journey of life alone — but his full 
share of the good works God gave them both to do. He will 
find another friend, who, if he can not be to him like the first, 
nevertheless will be a brother priest, a fellow laborer. The mantle 
of the ascending Elias will descend on both, and his spirit will 
hover over the consecrated scenes of his love on earth, and guard, 
we humbly pray, the fair paradise, like the angel at the gate, 
from harm." 

Thus appears the substance of the obituary notice of Father 
Gacon in the Telegraph of June 7th. The saintly humble presence 
of this priest of God will be missed by the pupils in their daily 
walks, and at the holy altar, and there will be a void in the 
community so long dependent on his wise direction. 

The Most Reverend Archbishop, knowing how difficult to find 
one for such a responsible position, yielded to the solicitations of 
Mother Julia and the community, to place this charge in the hands 
of his brother, Ver^^ Reverend Edward Purcell. After much plead- 
ing, he consented to accept the burdens of superiority to which he 
was ever averse, and the only recreation he ever allowed himself 
from his post at the Cathedral, was a visit over Sunday, spent 
in the retirement of Brown County when called thither by business 
of the community. 

The Retreat this year was preached by the Most Reverend 
Archbishop himself, a grace and honor which the Sisters duly 
appreciated. At its close the tri-ennial elections were held, Notre 
Mere and Ma Mere retaining their respective posts of Superior 
and Assistant, while that of Zelatrice fell to Sister Xavier Carolan, 
and that of Treasurer to Sister Theresa Sherlock. 

The house was fitted with a gasoline machine this year, and 




VERY REV. EDWARD PURCELL. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. I4I 

rejoicing in the bright light and convenience of gas, the lamps 
of old were relegated to the store-room of past conveniences. 
The gas added much to the effective appearance of the pupils on 
the stage at the Distribution, which was in every way a success. 
The graduates of the year, were Miss Stella Gallagher, and Miss 
Elizabeth O'Driscoll. The Harvest of the Year, written for the 
occasion was much admired, not only for the tasteful language 
and beauty of thought, but for the exquisite scenic effects of the 
costumes of the angels of the year. 

The number of pupils increasing each successive year soon 
enforces the need of a suitable hall, devoted only to the wants of 
the music teachers and pupils. Up to this time, the pianos were 
crowded into any available space in the main building that could 
be found, with, as it may be supposed, a degree of annoyance 
to sensitive ears, not easily borne. Plans for the new building 
were discussed, and finally took shape, and materials were made 
ready for the beginning of work in the summer of the follow- 
ing year. 

Early in the year 1866, a visit was received from Bishop 
Rosecrans, marked by circumstances of greater joy than usual as 
he had lately recovered from an accident which threatened his 
life. He resided at the Seminary on Price Hill, and was return- 
ing there after attending his duties in the confessional at the 
Cathedral, until the late hour of ten o'clock. Although urged to 
remain, he left, intending to walk until he should meet the carriage 
that he had directed to be sent for him at ten P. M. At a 
bend of the road less than a quarter of a mile from the Seminary, 
he was set upon by two robbers who demanded his money. The 
Bishop refused to comply with this modest request, and sought 
to escape by running from the thieves. He was then shot, the 
ball from a navy revolver passing through the flesh}^ part of one 



142 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

leg, and lodging in the other. He continued his way until he 
reached the Seminary, and going to his room, tried to extract 
the ball himself with a pocket-knife, when one of the household 
found him probing the wound. Although it lodged so near the 
femoral artery that it could not be extracted without danger, the 
active Bishop was soon at his post and able to offer the Holy Sac- 
rifice on Christmas day. On his visit to the Convent, the nuns 
begged to have posession of the ball which had struck him, to 
which request he consented, and in presenting it, he labeled the case 
containing it, " the ball which failed to relieve the world of the 
valued services of S. H. R." 

Caroline, the third daughter of Gen. E. P. Scammon, had been 
for several years, a much loved pupil of the Convent. She returned 
from her home in Cincinnati after the Christmas holidays, in Janu- 
ary 1866, and again entered upon the duties of the classes, though 
not feeling in her usual good health. In a few days, symptoms of 
typhoid fever developed so alarmingly, that her parents were at once 
sent for. But neither tender love nor medical skill could check the 
progress of the disease, and with her devoted parents at her bed- 
side, and the kneeling religious around her, her pure soul passed 
from its frail and beautiful earthly tenement, to its home eternal in 
the heavens, on the evening of January 31st. The following morn- 
ing, the nuns with lighted tapers formed in double lines at the 
infirmary, to accompany the precious remains to the Convent door, 
whence they were taken to the beloved home, she had left so few 
weeks ago, full of youthful life, of hope and confidence in the bright 
future before her. 

The Reverend F. X. Button, who had succeeded to the pas- 
torate of St. Martin's church since the death of Father Gacon, 
finding the old parish church unsuited to the wants of a larger and 
more prosperous congregation, determined to build a structure better 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 43 

fitted in every way for divine worship. The present village church, 
whose modest spire shows afar the sign of salvation to all travelers 
to the Convent, soon rose from the greensward around it and on the 
twenty-ninth of April, it was dedicated under the patronage of the 
great St. Martin, to the solemn service of Almighty God. The day 
was as beautiful as a bright clear sky, and springing verdure, and 
song of birds could make it, and a large concourse of Catholics from 
adjacent congregations took part in the ceremony. A procession 
was formed at the old church on the Convent grounds, by the con- 
gregation, followed by the clergy. Before commencing the services, 
the Archbishop addressed the people on the character of the cere- 
mony, and the spirit of true Christian progress, which we should 
manifest in our lives. The Reverend F. X. Button, through whose 
exertions the church had been built, officiated, and one of Lambill- 
otte's Masses was sung with great taste by the Sisters, of whom the 
Archbishop requested this favor. In the afternoon there was Bene- 
diction of the Blessed Sacrament, and a sermon by the Most Reverend 
Archbishop. It was a happy day for the congregation, a proud day 
for Father Button, and a day of consolation for good Father Chey- 
mol, a day of reccompense for his twenty-seven years of labor to 
change the desert into a garden. In May, the little church which 
had so long served the pious congregation of St. Martin's was 
demolished, whilst the cross, which surmounted it, was religiously 
preserved by the Sisters, and is still in their safe-keeping. Shortly 
after, in August, the house at present occupied by the workmen of 
the farm, was built. 

The following day, there was another ceremony of consecration, 
not of a material edifice for the dwelling of the Most High, but of 
the giving of the human temple of body and soul, for a special 
in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Sister M. Eulalia Bunn pronounced 
the vows that bound her forever to God, in the presence of the Most 



144 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Reverend Archbishop and several clergymen. A beautiful sermon 
was preached by Reverend C. Denny, who had lately returned to 
his native country, duly accredited by the Archbishop of West- 
minster, to solicit aid in the building of a Cathedral to the memory 
of the late Cardinal Wiseman. 

The account of the Distribution exercises of this year was 
written up by a Cincinnati reporter, to whom it was evidently 
a novel theme, for he surprises us by saying that the entire grounds 
are under cultivation, except such of the forest as is left for fuel, 
and in addition, three hundred and forty-seven acres adjoining 
have been purchased, on which, in due course of time, a male 
academy will be erected ! The exercises are summed up in the 
mention that they consisted of vocal and instrumental music, the 
execution of which evinced the most creditable attainment in those 
arts ; dramatic scenes adapted to the proprieties of the place, the 
distribution of premiums, the conferring of the Academic honors, 
and the reading of the Valedictory by Miss Mary Taafe, the 
only graduate of the Academy this year. 

The increase of pupils during this year was so great, that 
they were inconveniently crowded, over one hundred and fifty 
having entered. The work on the play hall and music room building 
pushed steadily on from September, and it was ready for occupation 
the following spring. 

So many little children under twelve having been received 
this year, a Fourth Department was added to the three that were 
already crowded with older pupils. It is needless to say, that 
these little girls, fresh and bright, with all the winning graces of 
childhood won their way into all older hearts, and received their 
full share of attention from visitors and friends. 

The month of January 1867, brought around another religious 
profession. On the morning of the feast of the Espousals of the 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 45 

Blessed Virgin, Sister Borgia Magevney, Sister Regina Murphy, and 
Sister Neri Juillard took upon themselves the solemn vows of the 
Ursuline, and a most beautiful sermon was listened to, from the Very 
Reverend Father Purcell. Although by nature a poet and orator, his 
extreme reserve, amounting to shyness, had always prevented these 
superior natural gifts from receiving their due appreciation from 
a Brown County audience. This was the first sermon he had 
preached here during the twenty years of his acquaintance, and 
on that account we regret that like so many of his brilliant and 
pious productions, it graced the editor's waste basket instead of the 
pages of our history. The day was a bright and joyous one, as 
are all days that mark the consecration of souls to God, but a 
gloom was cast over its close by the announcement of the death 
of Miss Mary Taafe. But a few months ago she had borne away 
the laurel crown and silver star of the graduate class of 1866, 
loved and lauded for her special gifts of heart and intellect, with 
a seemingly long and beautiful life before her. She died at her 
home in Pittsburgh, surrounded by her devoted mother and friends 
whose hearts were crushed under the cruel blow. 

Whilst grief over her early death still weighed heavily upon 
the hearts of her friends and classmates at St. Martin's, there came 
a summons to a little one in their midst, who had for some months 
joined in the study and sport that make up the perfect day of 
the school girl's life. Little Margaret Coleman, of the tender age of 
eight years, had been from her infancy a delicate child, a child 
whose pure soul seemed to hold but slight tenure on the little 
frame that bound it to this lower world. She had been suffering 
from heart disease ; her loving parents had sent her with an older 
sister to the Convent, hoping that a change of air would tend to 
eradicate this constitutional weakness. Early in March, an attack 
of the fatal disease, pneumonia, so weakened her delicate heart. 



146 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

that it snapped the cords that bound it to this passing Hfe, and 
loosed the fluttering, angelic soul to take its flight to the serried 
ranks that gather around God's throne. The day following, her 
father, Captain John Coleman, a prominent Catholic gentleman of 
Louisville, Ky. , arrived to carry the precious remains home to the 
sorrowing mother and family. Four of her companions, clothed 
in white, carried the little casket, and four little ones strewed flowers 
before it ; but, whilst the black robed nuns wept for the loss of the 
child who passed from their midst, there was a saddened joy in 
their hearts over the consciousness that ' ' Of such is the King- 
dom of Heaven." 

The new hall is fast nearing completion in the early spring, 
and in June a rousing house-warming is prepared and celebrated 
by those who anticipate so many happy hours in the large play 
hall. Later on, in August, it receives a new honor in being used 
for a reception, extended in welcome to the Most Reverend Arch- 
bishop on his return from Rome. The pupils and religious form 
in procession and sing a hymn of welcome to His Grace, who, 
joining them,' walks in their ranks to the new hall. Here a throne 
is prepared, and, after a short address to which the loved Father 
responds, he distributes medals, etc., blessed by the Holy Father, 
and all disperse to enjoy a grand holiday. 

The Archbishop had carried to the Holy Father, a present 
from the Ursulines, of a beautiful stole, embroidered in fish scale 
flowers and gold bullion. This style of ornamentation had been 
brought to great perfection by Mother Stanislaus and Mother 
Ursula, and though it can not strictly be said to have originated 
with these artists in embroidery, they have made such unusual 
application of its use, as to entitle them to great credit for inven- 
tion, in connection with the special use to which it is put in 
Brown County. The address accompanying the presentation of the 
stole came from the facile pen of Sister Kostka : 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 47 

TO HIS HOLINESS PIUS IX. 

Most Holy Father, at thy sacred feet 

Too gladly would we kneel, the ardent wish 

Of loving hearts to speak. This joy denied, 

Our much revered Archbishop bears to thee 

An humble tribute of affection deep — 

A simple work of true undying love. 

The offering's less, perchance, in real worth 

Than others make to thee, but none can claim 

Devotion more sincere. 

Saint Peter's Son — 
Rememb'ring well the lowly Fisherman 
Who left his nets beside the Sea, the bark 
Of Christ to steer across the world's rough waves — 
Will prize the fish-scale flowers, although himself 
The pricely Fisherman of souls. 

No star. 
However lustrous, 'neath the noon-day's sun 
Is seen: within a crown of blossoms rare 
The violet smiles unnoted: — thus indeed — 
While glory, like an aureole, surrounds 
Thy throne resplendent, from the noble souls 
Who come at thy behest in this dark hour 
To prove their fealty to thee — our gift. 
Alike the timid flower, will smile unseen. 
Or shed its brilliance like the hidden star. 
But noonday's splendor gone, with joy we hail 
The mellow beaming of the star; well pleased 
The violet's eye we seek, before our path 
Is strewn with summer's sweeter fairer flowers. 
So when the radiance of this hour is past, 
Our ofiering meek, in humble accents, may 
Awake remembrance of the lowly ones 
Who greet thee from this sympathizing land. 

Although Columbia's skies are not so bright, 

Her clime so genial as Italia' s clime, 

Her breeze so redolent of citron groves — 

Yet no less warm devotion to the truth — 

The royal standard of the glorious Cross — 

The cause of Christ's blest Vicar suff"'ring here — 

Wells up within her Catholic children's hearts. 



148 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

In these Hesperian wilds the perfumed breath 

Of holy prayer before our Mother's shrine 

Ascends, invoking every peerless grace 

On that beloved Son whose Hope she is, 

And who enchased within her diadem 

The loveliest gem there brightly sparkling now — 

For'er proclaiming her Immaculate. 

Thy unexampled zeal, thy laboring faith, 
Thy love unequalled for our spotless Queen, 
Thy hidden worth, on which but angels gaze. 
Thy ling' ring martyrdom, may Seraphs wreathe 
Into unfading crowns, while Cherubs note 
In purest gold thy lofty deeds above. 

In spirit prostrate at thy feet, we crave 
Thy gracious benediction. Holy Sire, 
Upon the far-off Ursulines, who in 
Their Western forest home do hourly waft 
Most fervent supplications, to implore 
Protection, guidance peace, and gentle hope, 
To gild with Heaven's light the rugged path 
Of Pius Ninth, the noble great, and good! 



Coal furnaces are put into the house this summer, as the con- 
sumption of wood up to this time bids fair to destroy the beau- 
tiful woodland of the farm. 

Sister Mary Bouret was the first of the original band from 
Beaulieu to break the bond that united it on earth to form a new 
one for heaven. After a saintly and laborious life of many years, 
God called her to her reward on the ninth of August, 1867. 
A Mass of Requiem was sung on the morning of the eleventh, 
the remains of the loved old Sister carried to the cemetery in the 
afternoon, and just as the sun was sinking in the West, were 
lowered to their last resting place, to rise again, we hope, like 
the setting sun, bathed in the light of supernal glory. 

A larger graduating class than had yet been presented to the 
public, was the distinguishing feature of this year's commence- 
ment. Six young ladies bore away this honor ; Miss Henrietta 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



[49 



Woodworth, Cleveland, O. ; Miss Isora Collard, Cincinnati, O. ; 
Miss Bettie Carter, Vevay, Ind. ; Miss Agnes Morancy, Versailles, 
Ky. ; Miss Louise Smith, Columbus, O. ; Miss Hattie Cartwright, 
Pomeroy, O. We notice also one hundred and seventy-four pupils 
entered on the catalogue list. 

The bright autumn days brought back the happy flock, scat- 
tered during the summer months like birds of passage, and the 
beautiful Indian summer lingered and faded away into the Decem- 
ber snows, without events of interest, except pleasant visits from 
the old class-room guests, Bishops Rosecrans and Quinlan of Mobile, 

The year 1868 opened January 3rd, with the clothing of Sister 
Mary O'Keefe, followed a month later by that of Sister M. Bap- 
tista Freaner, a former pupil. The sermon preached on the latter 
occasion by the Very Reverend Superior, Father Edward Purcell, at 
the request of his Most Reverend Brother, the Archbishop, is 
fortunately preserved, one of three only, which he delivered in the 
Convent. All who knew Father Purcell with any intimacy, and 
the all were indeed few, will recall the unhesitating deference and 
obedience with which he yielded to the wishes of the Archbishop. 
It was due to the request of the Archbishop that we owe the 
preservation of this exquisite rendering of the beautiful, poetic and 
pious expression of the thoughts suggested to him by the occasion. 
We give the sermon in full : 

"The day so long desired, has dawned in brightness — the 
epoch in the life of a Christian soul, anticipated with such holy 
anxiety, is happily fulfilled — the day has come — the fairest day in 
a maiden's life, — the day of grace and salvation, the day which 
unites her to God for all eternity. To-day she ascends the moun- 
tain, the light of heaven falls upon her, the hosts of the church 
contemplate her, the altar is dressed for the festival, the mysteri- 
ous sword is raised above her, the fire for the sacrifice is burning 



l^O FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

brightly. He whom she has chosen, the fairest among thousands, 
salutes and receives her in the name of sister and dove. The 
crown of flowers which He will give her, the vesture of super- 
natural glory, the white nuptial veil, the mj^sterious banquet, — all 
is prepared for the triumph, and it is, therefore, now that we can 
say, " Thou has chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, — and 
the Lord hath chosen thee to be His people." 

This alliance, so august and so endearing, will be the subject 
of our meditation. You have chosen the Lord to be your God, — 
how sublime is your vocation ! God hath chosen you to be His 
people, — how grand is your recompense. Yo have chosen the Lord 
to be your God, — see how divine is the charter by which your 
glory is established and maintained ; and He hath chosen you to 
be His people, that your gratitude may flow from a divine motive. 
You have chosen the Lord to be your God, and this will make 
manifest to you the vast obligations you assume ; but He has cho- 
sen you to be His people, that your heart may be fortified by 
the multitudinous character of His mercies. On this two-fold choice — 
on this mutual alliance — rest the two reflections to which I invite 
your attention : 

First — the dignity of the religious vocation in the choice which 
a Christian maiden makes of our Lord, that He may be her God, — 
and secondly, the happiness of the religious vocation when our 
Lord chooses a Christian maiden that she may be His people. — 
First, man, however demoralized by sin, has never wholly lost the 
consciousness of his original greatness. His heart constantly re- 
minds him that he is not in his natural place, and all his affec- 
tions, desires, and even his vices are but the impressions of a 
soul, which, fallen from a sublime position, hopes by their aid to 
regain the glory he has lost. Unfortunately for him, he errs in 
the means by which he hopes to acquire his ancient prerogatives. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTYCONVENT. ' 151 

He aims to recover his liberty by submitting to every species of 
slavery ; he seeks in frivolous and inconstant creatures the bless- 
ings of peace, and true and ever-abiding fortune, in the perishing 
things of the world. He mistakes pride for greatness, he thinks 
he sees true glory in the titles and pageantry of earth, and thus 
from day to day he pursues the phantom of his own excellence, 
and every step he takes to regain the paradise he has lost, only 
sinks him deeper and deeper in despair. But a light from heaven 
has fallen on earth, and to those who are born not of blood, nor 
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, to them has it 
been revealed that the holy alliance made between God and the 
faithful soul at the foot of the altar is the only way by which 
the beauty and order of her primitive institution can be restored. 
St. Paul, it is time, teaches us, that by vocation to Christianity, 
man is regenerated according to the design of God at his creation ; 
but this regeneration is not so perfect that no traces of our fall 
can be detected. It is only in the religious vocation that the 
creation of the new man commences, — the spiritual, the perfect 
man. "As we have borne the image of the earthly", says the 
Apostle, *' let us also bear the image of the heavenly man." 
I Cor. XV, 49. And such is the vocation to which you are 
called. A vocation which separates the Christian lady from the 
exterior fold, to devote her to duties more exalted, to sacrifices 
more heroic, to virtues more deserving. The incomparable dignity 
of the religious soul rests on these requirements, and hence we 
admire the generosity of her sacrifice, the most noble character of 
her attachments, and the completeness of her liberty. 

What can be grander, and, at the same time more beautiful 
than this offering of a Christian maiden, who, docile to the inspi- 
rations of grace determines to renounce the world at the very time 
when it appears most attractive, who abandons pleasures when 



152 • FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

they are most seductive, and even friendships at a time when it 
is so natural to cherish them, and, not only these, but all the 
endearments of home and this in the spring time of life, when 
the earth appears covered with roses. How noble is this heroism 
of the daughter of Sion, who surmounts every obstacle, repulses 
every attack on her fortitude, and with a courageous hand, breaks 
in pieces the idols which the world adores — who throws aside with 
disdain the livery of fashion, and concentrating all the powers of 
youth, health, liberty, the sweet charms of the mind, and the gra- 
ces which embellish the person — offers all to God — suspends them 
like garlands in the sanctuary to be the witnesses of her triumph, 
as, with self-possessed and tranquil dignity she approaches the 
altar, admired on earth and applauded in heaven. 

The greatness of the sacrifice is in the heart. The exterior 
circumstances attending the consecration of a soul to God may be 
more or less brilliant ; — the lambs of the rich and the pigeons of 
the poor were equally acceptable, but the essential object of the 
holocaust is not affected by them. The sacrifice is in the interior 
renouncement of the will in a holy self denial, in the abandon- 
ment of hopes long cherished, in the rejection, in fine of what- 
ever exists in life to fascinate the heart ; this is the immolation 
which is the last triumph of nature, and the most marvelous 
achievement of grace. This immolation, according to many of the 
Fathers, elevates her to the dignity of a martyr. What more, in 
fact, is done by the Christian soldier, who seals with his blood 
the truth of his faith ? He dies once only ; she can say with 
St. Paul; "I die daily." In the martyr it is momentary con- 
stancy ; in Christian Virgin it is a constancy long as life. 

This sacrifice is so astonishing, that worldlings do not believe 
in its sincerity, and invent all kinds of excuses and motives to 
degrade it. Insinuations of disappointment, pride, self interest and 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 53 

Others, viler in character, are constantly alleged, but this attempt 
of the unbelievers to dishonor it only establishes the eminent vir- 
tue which these holy vows commemorate. 

The sacrifice is as honorable to the religion which inspires it, 
as it is to her whose submission it consecrates. The religion 
which recommends such sacrifices can alone give to humanity its 
highest degree of dignity and force. Who, without her aid, can 
hope to attain such excellence ; who, without her teaching, had 
ever even entertained the idea of such perfection. In other ages, 
misanthropic men pretended to despise the world, yet attracted its 
attention by their peculiarities, and, effecting to renounce everything, 
made themselves the center of all. 

But to forget the world, and make every effort that the world 
may forget them, to abandon all, without any appeal to self-love 
for recompense or indemnity, to carry the sword even to the divis- 
ion of the soul, to please Him only who sees in secret, here is 
the true sacrifice, here we distinguish the finger of God. This is 
the triumph reserved for the Gospel and the divine spirit of truth, 
and the teaching of holy church by which alone souls can be 
converted. But it is not to excite your vanity, if such were 
possible, or to amuse you, that I have drawn this picture of 3^our 
sacrifice. I wish, only, in recalling the sacred character of the 
immolation, to present to your minds more forcibly the extent of 
the obligations you assume. Have you sounded the depths of your 
heart before God, and are you certain that His is the spirit which 
animates you, and that He is the motive of your choice ? Is your 
sacrifice pure, noble, disinterested ? Is it as entire as it is irre- 
vocable ? When you remember the past, and look forward to the 
future, when you reflect on the dangers peculiar to every state of 
life, and that yours is not only not exempt, but exposed to severe 
trials, when you recollect that a word or a thought may destroy 



154 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

the fair vision, and bring down in ruins the sacred structure you 
have erected with so much care, this will be sufficient to warn 
your heart from taking any complacency in yourself, or, suppos- 
ing that it was by your own efforts you overcame the world. In 
the immolation of yourselves, you offer nothing to God but what 
belongs to Him. The gifts you place upon the altar are not 
yours, but His. Why then should you glorify yourself? What 
have you given to God ? Your liberty — that is to say the unhappy 
power to live without rule, or your youth, which fades like a 
flower. What have you relinquished? Pleasures, as they are called, 
which enervate, and all the fatiguing cares inseparable from life 
in the great world. You see, then, in truth, that you renounce 
nothing, you abandon no right to which the soul is entitled. The 
Christian is merely a traveler on earth ; he rests a little while in 
his tent on the desert — he departs with the mist of the morning, 
and is seen no more. You have, therefore, surrendered nothing 
of your own ; or, rather, you have given all that you may acquire 
all, sacrificed everything to obtain everything, forsaken all only to 
be attached to one who is worthy of your heart, who is alone 
capable of gratifying its immortal aspirations. But the true grand- 
eur of the soul consecrated to God is seen in the exalted charac- 
ter of her attachments. Few rays of light illuminated her triumph 
when she renounced the world. She then only relieved her person 
from the charms which impeded her movements. To know her in 
her true glory, we must see her as it were in the presence of her 
Divfne Spouse. She lives only for God. In all her movements we 
recognize the words of the Psalmist: "For what have I in heaven, 
and, besides Thee, what do I desire upon earth. Thou art the God 
of my heart and my portion forever." Ps. 72. Then life becomes a 
labor of love, then we can contemplate how, as the attachments to the 
world cease, those which are eternal become like chains of light 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 55 

binding the heart to Heaven. Then no opportunity of pleasing 
our Lord is overlooked, no moment to glorify Him is lost. Her 
eyes are to look up to Heaven, her mouth to declare the glory 
of God, her ears to hear the words of eternal life, her will to 
do that of her Father in Heaven, her imagination to waft the 
soul to the celestial kingdom. 

Oh ! what an immense distance, what a mighty gulf extends 
between her heart and the earth ! How vast the space which sepa- 
rates her from the vain objects of life ! How noble are her thoughts, 
how immense her designs, how sublime her sentiments. What- 
ever is not immutable and eternal cannot satisfy her hopes. Where 
those, who are so inspired abide on earth, we approach with 
religious respect. It is the sanctuary of Sion, where alone God 
is great, it is the new heaven and the new earth, where God is 
enthroned above the ruins of nature, — where all things fly and 
disappear before the majesty of His presence. 

Yes ; it is is here alone that God reigns and the sanctuary 
is filled with His glory. Here, whatever is not divine is profane, 
whatever is not celestial is soiled. Here all names are confused, 
all titles and human distinctions are blotted out ; the only one by 
which you can be honored and recognized is that of Spouse of 
Christ. 

You have lost the names by which the world knew you in 
your father's house, in the home of your childhood, the ties of 
country and kindred are broken, — so grandly does God rule in 
sovereign majesty here. How holy must be the place where 
vocations so sublime are consecrated, where a God so omnipotent 
is served ! The least thought of the world is an offence to your 
Divine Spouse, the least reserve in His service an idolatry ; all 
conversation which He may not hear is a profanation ; every amuse- 
ment over which he may not preside, is dark and guilty like a 



156 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

sacrilege ! How then are we to know the eminent dignity of a 
Christian maiden consecrated to God, how distinguish between the 
rehgious vocation and the mere call to be a Christian, — is it not 
by the perfection of her works, the observance of the counsels, 
the heroism of her love? Do not suppose that because God has 
given you great graces you cannot lose them ; do not suppose 
because you made great sacrifices to leave the world, that little 
passions, and humors and foolish fancies, and petty griefs may 
not little by little subdue your soul even in this holy place. 

The snow falls lightly, but it will crush in time the strongest 
defences. It is true you would not, like the guilty Israelites, 
make a false deity and bow down before it, but, like Rachael, 
you may bring idols Irom the world, which, though you adore 
not, 3^ou retain ; to which, though you offer no incense, you cherish, 
and though they may not destroy your devotion, they weaken its 
fervor. Forget the world : in your holy vows put all your love 
and strength of mind and affections of heart ; let there be no 
communication between you and anything base. Let your heart 
be tender as the Blessed Mother's when you speak to her Son, 
but at all other times like polished steel, against which the poisoned 
arrow falls in vain. 

Now the third character of the religious vocation is the plen- 
titude of its independence. As the soul belongs to God, it de- 
pends on no one but God, and this is to be perfectly free and 
master of ones self. Nothing, therefore, in life, can approach in 
true nobility the lady who has vowed her life to the cloister. If 
true to her vocation, she seems to participate in the sovereignty 
of God himself. Like God, she is independent of every other 
being ; like God, she is served by all and ruled by none. She 
needs no protectors, no neighbors, no friends, unless to exercise 
in their regard the virtue of charity. Like Melchisedech, she is 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. I57 

without father, or mother, or genealogy. She heeds not the cus- 
toms of life because she is ignorant of them, she fears no opinion 
because she rejects it, and despises all public censure because she 
is crucified to the world, its praise and condemnation. No preju- 
dices disturb her. She has no fear for the future, no anxiety for 
the present. And yet the religious life has its engagements and 
duties, and first among them are humility and obedience. On 
these depends the true liberty of the soul. In the Convent you 
are indeed in subjection, — but to what ? To rule, to duty, to jus- 
tice. The liberty you surrender, is the liberty of the passions, 
the caprices and inconstancy of the mind. Whom do you obey ? 
God, whom 3^ou love, and His representatives, who make known 
to you His will. If you respect not these, you can not love God. 
In this way is the liberty of the Christian maiden preserved. 
There is no resti-aint but what she loves to feel, — and from week 
to week and year to year the golden hours elapse, and, from 
their glittering wings, treasures are accumulated, which never de- 
cay. Time, so fearful to the criminal, so useless to the worldling, 
so desired by the lost, so loved by the redeemed ; time is here 
but a long succession of holy thoughts, and every moment is 
a proof of God's love and of that true liberty with which He has 
made you free, indeed. 

Second — But, if the dignity of the religious vocation awakens 
our admiration, how can we adequately describe the happiness of 
those whom God has chosen to be His people. God, although 
the Universal Ruler, does not reign equally in all hearts. Though 
His sun is made to rise over the just and sinners. He does not 
regard them indifferently, nor communicate to all the same abun- 
dance of graces. There is no respect of persons with God as 
regards His justice, but there is in the distribution of His favors. 
He is, indeed, the God of all men, but, in a particular manner, 



158 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Hence throughout all the 
world's history, He reserved from the multitudes some privileged 
nations, some cherished race, whom He called by excellence His 
people, on whom He showered gifts and powers with profusion. 
Who can this chosen people be, but those who devote themselves 
in a special manner to recollection and prayer. He requires from 
them great virtues, but He imparts powerful graces ; He demands 
great sacrifices, but He compensates them with divine consola- 
lations. These truths you acknowledge, and they convey to your 
minds the conviction that God hath chosen you to be His people 
by the dangers from which He has delivered you, and the joys 
He has in reserve for you here and hereafter. 

No one who knows the world will undervalue the dangers 
which menace the soul. Danger, in its customs, so often condemned 
by the Gospel ; danger in its maxims, which aim to favor the 
passions and canonize licentiousness ; danger in false brethren, who, 
if they can not seduce you by example, try to shame you with 
ridicule ; danger in its riches, which avarice may accumulate or 
luxury squander ; danger in its honors, which lead to so many 
crimes ; danger in abundance, which leads to excess ; danger in 
poverty, which murmurs against God ; in fine, dangers in every- 
thing we see or hear, and even in the air we breathe. 

What should be the measure of your gratitude to God for 
delivering you from these perils, and choosing you to be His 
people? While those abroad in life are encompassed with dangers, 
while chasms open at every step, every moment a temptation, 
every object a scandal. He, in His love, has taken you by the hand 
and placed you in this impregnable Zion, this chosen city of 
which He is himself the cidatel. Here you fear not the dangers 
of the world, because you do not know them ; nor its maxims, 
because you repudiated them ; nor its riches, because your treasure 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 59 

is in heaven ; nor false brethern, because here is charity unfeigned. 
Here is no danger of bad example, because all are traveling in 
the way of perfection ; no danger of riches, because you have for- 
saken them ; nor of poverty, because yours is voluntary. What 
a glorious emancipation of the soul do these religious vows pro- 
claim ! Here you may take the wings of the eagle and ascend 
to heaven, or tread with the pace of a giant, and, with resolute 
will, pass from virtue to virtue on your triumphal way. God 
has commanded His angels to make the path straight before you, 
and well may you exclaim in the fulness of your heart : " Thou 
hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, 
that I may please in the sight of God, and in the light of the 
living." But, though you are free from many and great dangers, 
there are many temptations to be rejected. In the world you 
feared the allurements of pleasure, — here you must dread the illu- 
sions of piety, — the one is a refinement of luxury, the other of 
spirituality. In the world, assaults on innocence are violent ; here 
they are snares for self-love ; in the world we live too little with 
God, here too much with ourselves. Hence this happy exclusion 
of the world does not dispense you from constant vigilance. If 
you have less to encounter here, it does not follow that you may 
devote more time to repose. But, now remembering this happy 
reception, and not unmindful of all the sweet thoughts the angels 
are whispering to their new Sister on earth, I will no longer 
interrupt your joy. 

What a happy life is before you ! Here you are in the safe 
way — firmly established — delivered from all obstacles to your salva- 
tion. Here, though in some small things you may not be exempt 
from the solicitude of Martha, yet you are always at liberty to 
follow the example of Mary. Here you have found the land 
which flows with milk and honey, on which the eyes of the Lord 



l6o FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

are ever fixed Here is the celestial dew which is distilled drop by 
drop, corresponding with the moments of life, yet forming that 
mighty river of which the Scriptures speak. Truly, one day spent 
in Thy Sanctuary is better than a thousand in the tents of sinners. 
Only one day ! But it is all your life ! All your life in the house of 
the Lord, in the secret of His presence, in the assembly of the Just. 
All your life in the sweet union of charity with your sisters, all your 
life in the consolations of the Sacred Writings, the Hyms of Zion, in 
the recollection, the silence, the adoration of prayer — all your life 
at His feet, that 3^ou may die in his arms ! Enter faithful souls, 
into the joy of your Lord. Enter into the asylum of Faith and 
Hope and Charity. You have said farewell to the world forever, 
you bear no vestige of its slavery, you have given to vice its shame, 
to vanity its curse, to the world its anathema. If any tear be shed 
for you, not in sympathy but reproach, say as Christ did to the 
women of Jerusalem; — "Weep not for me but weep for yourselves." 
May God accept the offering and purify the holocaust, and ratify in 
Heaven what His grace has inspired — and, as He is the depository of 
your vows, may He be the plentitude of your recompense. 

The severe winter of 1868, one of the coldest known to the 
"oldest inhabitant," worked with serious effect upon the delicate 
constitutions of several among the sisters, who, for years, had shown 
symptoms of pulmonary disease. Two fell victims to its stealthy 
approaches. Sister Francis Morgan, on March 9th, and Sister Kostka 
Chalfant the following month, April 29th. Sister Francis will be 
remembered as the first boarder entering the Novitiate from the 
Academy. Her death was as peaceful and quiet as had been her 
life, and the ever-ready humor, the generous forgetfulness of self 
so marked in her nature, shone out even at the last dread moment. 
The Sisters were kneeling by her bedside, one of them reciting 
the beautiful prayers with which our tender Mother, the holy Church 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. l6l 

consoles the last moments of her children. As the supreme moment 
drew near, and the sister reading the prayers for the dying in 
a voice trembling with emotion said : " Depart Christian soul, etc," 
the dying sister smiling, said, "Not yet sister! I am not going 
just yet ! " And then with a sense of triumph, she sweetly said : 
"What a calm lovely night! how^ happy I feel!" After a while 
the words were repeated, this time a motion of assent passed over 
the face, growing gray with the shadow of closing life, and, for 
a moment, those around her were uncertain whether quiet sleep or 
the repose of death had settled upon her countenance. She will 
ever live in the hearts of those who knew her, by the remem- 
brance of her universal charity and unselfishness of soul, just as 
her sister-saint, Sister Kostka, who followed her in one short 
month, will be remembered for her heroic patience in suffering, 
her ardent love of God, her ceaseless gratitude for the priceless gift 
of faith which God had granted her and so many who were 
dear to her. She was gifted too with no mean power of inven- 
tion and song, and the play which she composed in honor of 
Saint Angela, was, at the time of its writing and after her death, 
most beautifully rendered. 

Our good friend of former days. Father Macheboeuf, had been 
for the last eighteen years, working with apostolic zeal in the vast 
field of labor, which comprised the diocese of his venerated friend. 
Bishop Lamy. He comes now to St. Martin's to visit his old 
friends, before his consecration as Vicar Apostolic of Colorado and 
Utah. We see him once again with the old-time energy of youth 
shining in every word and movement, subdued, softened as it 
were, by the affliction which lamed him for life, yet full of unsel- 
fish courage for the new position and honor conferred upon him 
by the Holy Father. His consecration is thus reported in the 
Telegraph of August 19th, 1868 : 



1 62 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

" Right Reverend Projectus Joseph Macheboeuf was consecrated on 
Sunday, August i6th, in St. Peter's Cathedral, Cincinnati, by the Most 
Reverend Archbishop Purcell, the Right Reverend Dr. Rappe of Cleve- 
land, and the Right Reverend Dr. deGoesbriand of Burlington, Vermont, 
being prelates assistant. The Right Reverend Dr. Rosecrans of Colum- 
bus preached on the occasion an eloquent, instructive and appropriate 
discourse, setting forth the divine commission given to the church to teach 
infallibly, to legislate, to execute her laws, and thus conduct the people 
committed to her in the way of eternal salvation. He showed how in 
direct contradiction to what human foresight could have anticipated, she 
proceeded from humble beginnings to teach the gospel to every nation, 
the Holy Ghost confirming her mission by its results. Should it be ob- 
jected that she is unable to execute her laws, which nations and individu- 
als often set at defiance, this does not prove her want of authority to make 
those laws, or her incapacity to execute them any more than the violation 
of the laws of God involves the want of authority or power on the part of 
the Sovereign Legislator, whose rights are vindicated by the punishment 
of the transgressor, in this life and the future. To this teaching and legis- 
lating church, the newly consecrated Bishop of Epiphany, in partibus 
infideliutn^ and Vicar Apostolic of Colorado and Utah, is now associated. 
He goes forth as the Apostles did, without human resources, trusting for 
a blessing to the good providence of God. His Vicariate is five times as 
large as the state of Ohio. It is fifteen or sixteen hundred miles long and 
about six hundred miles wide. The people he evangelizes are Mormons, 
Indians, half civilized Mexicans, miners and scattered Catholics. For 
this great work he has but three priests, and the slenderest pecuniary 
resources. He has spent three years in the exercise of the holy ministry 
in France, ten in the diocese of Cincinnati, ten in the diocese of his com- 
patriot and fellow laborer on the mission of Ohio, Right Reverend Dr. 
Lamy of Santa Fe, and eight in Colorado, where, in descending a spur 
of the Rocky Mountains, he was thrown from his carriage and lamed for 
life, — yet neither his courage nor his confidence in God fails him,- and, in 
a few years, we shall hope to see his labors crowned with results like 
those now visible in other territories, subdued by the Gospel of peace and 
love. The officers of the Mass, and priests in the sanctuary were. Assis- 
tant Priest, Reverend C. H. Borgess ; Deacons of Honor, Reverend Dr, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 63 

Pabisch and Reverend C. O'Driscoll, S. J. ; Deacon and Sub-deacon of 
the office, Reverend A. H. Toebbe, and Reverend Dr. Richter ; Masters 
of Ceremonies, Reverend W. J. Halley and Mr. John Kennedy. The 
Cathedral was crowded, and the collection, to which all were exhorted to 
contribute liberally, was for the new Bishop." 

Bishops Rappe and deGoesbriand took advantage of their stay 
in Cincinnati, to visit Notre Mere and the community, and gave 
to it and the Parish of St. Martin's the honor of Pontifical High 
Mass on the beautiful feast of the Assumption. The newly conse- 
crated Bishop Macheboeuf also returned on the seventeenth, the day 
after his consecration, to say farewell before again setting out for 
his new see. 

June 30th brought the Commencement day, the exercises of 
which were written up by a reporter of the staff of the Cincinnati 
Commercial, of whom the Telegraph of the following week says : 

** The gentleman reporter of the above named journal has per- 
formed his task so thoroughly well, that we have no desire to 
change, take from, or add to his report. Moreover, as it comes 
from an extraneous and disinterested source, it will not wear the 
shade of partiality. From this report we quote : The programme 
of the Commencement exercises consisted of piano and harp music, 
choruses, the delivery of original essays, and the coronation and 
decorations of the graduates. Misses Mary Dohan of Chillicothe, 
Mary Gilmore of St. Louis, and Mary Rosecrans of Cincinnati." 

A present of three beautiful deer from Mr. Michael Magevney 
of Memphis, originated the idea of laying out a park for their 
custody. This was accordingly done and formed for a long time 
a very interesting feature in the already beautiful grounds. 

The elections, usual every three years, are held on August 
2 1 St, and result in the re-election of all the officers. 



164 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

The retreat was preached in August by Reverend Dr. Kirrner, 
and, on the resuming of studies in September, the Reverend Father 
Button began a series of religious instructions for the pupils, which 
were most solid and interesting. 

The last year of the decade i860 opens with the religious 
profession of Sister Louise Murphy and Sister Veronica Portail, 
and the clothing of Sister M. Dionysia Borgess. These occurred 
on February 14th, the Mass of the Holy Ghost being celebrated 
by Reverend Father Purcell, assisted by Father Borgess and 
Father Cheymol, Right Reverend Bishop McClosky, the lately 
consecrated incumbent of Louisville, being present. 

In the afternoon, the beautiful ceremony of clothing the young 
ladies, Miss Lucy Borgess and Miss EHzabeth McMahon in the 
Ursuline habit took place. The Reverend brother of the former, 
afterwards Bishop of Detroit, and Reverend J. McMahon, the 
uncle of the latter, assisted the Right Reverend Bishop of Louis- 
ville who officiated, whilst Father Purcell preached the following 
beautiful sermon. 

"And he said to all — "If any one will come after Me, let 
him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." 
Luke, IX, 23. Simplicity and truth are the chief ornaments of 
Christian eloquence, and hence the gospel of our Lord appeals 
so forcibly to the reason and heart of man. The grandest pre- 
cepts and holiest councils are there communicated in a few words. 
When we survey the heavens at night, we behold vast globes 
which have passed through the spheres since creation, but God 
accommodates them to our vision, and they appear like spots of 
light in the firmament. And yet this does not detract from their 
splendor. And thus, also, the great truths of revelation so long 
hidden in the Trinity, so sublime and wonderful in wisdom, are 
communicated to us by our Lord, reduced, we may say, to the 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 65 

capacity of the mind, and, though superior to all the material 
universe, we receive them into our souls, and our hearts can 
embrace them. 

Such is the result of the simplicity and truth of the divine 
word. When a King determines to make war on his enemies, 
the rules and regulations are published by which those who enlist 
under his banners must be governed. So our great King, when 
He descended to make war on Satan and his hosts, invited all 
men to participate in the conflict, and, in a few words declares 
the conditions on which He will accept their services. Whoever, 
He says, will acknowledge Me as his leader in this war between 
life and death, must renounce himself; he must, also, endure 
patiently all the privations and sorrows he may encounter ; he must 
therefore take up his cross daily, and finally, wherever I may 
lead, he must follow. These are the laws of that warfare to 
which Christ summons us. 

In the state of life on which you enter to-day, my dear sis- 
ters, you accept these obligations in a special manner. In the 
literal sense of the text, you must, in the first place renounce the 
world ; secondly, you must persevere in that holy resolution, and 
finally endeavor to surpass from day to day all which you have 
heretofore done in this divine warfare. 

When we are told that we must renounce the world, we should 
understand that this world which we are obliged to renounce 
resides within us. As some one has said, that every man's mind 
is his kingdom, so is the world to each person. "Do not love 
the world." says the Apostle, "nor the things that are in the world," 
and he adds; *'for all that is in the world is the concupiscence of 
the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life. 
*' What is this pride and double concupiscence but our own sinful 
proclivities, and where have they their origin but in our own self 



1 66 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

love. Consequently, the world we have to renonnce is ourselves. 
To surrender temporal possessions is nothing to a man who has faith 
in God. What are riches or jewels, or gold, or land to a generous 
heart which expects its reward in heaven. As the poet says : " They 
are mine or his, and have been the slaves of thousands, but to sur- 
render our own will and inclinations, that is to renounce the world. 
She who does this is a great conqueror. But, whence you may ask, 
arises this terrible necessity which obliges us to be so closely united 
with our enemy, to make him, as it were, our friend, and give him 
our heart for his dwelling place. The reason is because all the 
being of man conspired against God. The soul fell from the state 
of innocence, and consequently the body refused obedience to its 
control. Both became corrupt. For "The good which I will, I do 
not," says St. Paul, "but the evil which I will not, that T do." 
Disobedience is thus avenged by disobedience. Man becomes subject 
to two discordant wills and knows not which to follow. In his 
uncertainty and weakness, he, however, sees the necessity of aban- 
doning one or the other, — in other words, he must lose the world, 
if he wishes to save the soul. No more can it be said of him that 
he should rule over all living creatures, because those creatures, 
since his fall, defy him. They refuse to acknowledge a King who 
is without crown or sceptre, or royal robe, in exile, poverty and 
shame. Having desired to please and gratify his inclinations con- 
trary to the order of God, he now discovers, that unless he re- 
nounces those inclinations, he never can be reinstated in the divine 
favor. He thought that he had power to realize a happiness for 
himself, for which he would not be indebted to his Creator, and, 
by a just retribution, he has become his own most cruel and 
insatiable enemy. Whenever, therefore, to escape from this un- 
happy and illogical condition you determine to abjure the world, 
consider the grandeur of the enterprise. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 67 

The world you abandon is not the heaven and the earth, nor 
the friends and companions whom you loved, and of whose happi- 
ness you constituted so large a part, nor the vain pomp and gaudy 
attractions of society. A noble effort of the mind, without any re- 
ligious aid, such as Faith supplies, may suffice for this ; but, when 
it is a question of dividing our own being as if with a sword, of 
abandoning forever, not the perishing things around us, but the liv- 
ing active imperious will within the heart, — who has power, and reso- 
lution and fortitude for an achievement like this ? Where find 
chains strong enough to bind down the worldly and passionate 
man to the dominion of the spiritual ? He will, at every moment 
of forgetfulness, return to his corrupt desires. He who labors 
against his will, may, when apparently most employed, be far re- 
moved in mind from his toil, indulging in wild and extravagant 
conceptions. So is it even in the religious state. After years of 
labor, when by fast and vigil and prayer you have subdued your 
will, and made it, as you imagine, submissive to reason, even 
then it may be seduced by errors the most and ingenious, and 
fancies the most disastrous to it peace. Hence, as the Apostle 
says: i Cor. XI, 14. "The natural man receiveth not the 
things which are of the spirit of God." Nor can we depend on 
our virtue, for even against this, however exalted, nature rebels. 
If it can not overcome the soul by open and undisguised assaults 
on its integrity, it often succeeds by the complacency a victory 
over temptation, suggests. When we imagine ourselves to be 
very humble, we may be suddenly overthrown by pride. How many 
unhappy instances of this ruin of souls do we not yearly encounter ? 
Seduced by its artifice, the heart refuses to be admonished, and 
is conscious of no offense, and resents every attempt to lead it 
in the way of righteousness. Such people, as some writer has 
said, fly to the cloister to overthrow the world, but they exchange 



1 68 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

only one class of vanities for another. The solitude, which was 
to be their paradise, they, people with all the fancies of a diseased 
imagination, and thus lose that peace of mind, where those, who 
are faithful to their vocation, enjoy a divine refuge. 

Thus, even in the most sacred places, we may worship an idol 
instead of Christ, the Lord. But, let us examine a little closer 
what we mean by a renunciation of the world. Is there anything 
that makes a person appear so miserable and contemptable as 
poverty ? And this, too, notwithstanding its beatification by the 
Gospel. When you hear people of the world say, that such one 
is no account, you may be almost certain that they are speak- 
ing of a pauper. Hence the Psalmist exclaims : *' To thee is the 
poor man left." As if he had said, thou who can do so, court the 
smiles of the rich, and aim at the highest places, but to Thee, 
O Lord, is left the poor. In the time of the heathen, as we read 
in one of their poets, a poor man was subject of ridicule, and 
even now men have a dread of even the appearance of distress. 
This condition, so hateful to the world, you have chosen as the 
better part. Though the poverty of the cloister is one of honor, 
it has also its thorny aspect. It is sometimes rude and boisterous 
enough, like a wintry wind, because it resembles the poverty of the 
slave, who not only possesses nothing, but is incapable of owing 
anything. In the cloister you lose those rights which humanity 
outside the cloister would never surrender. You are not even 
counted among the living, — so that you can say with the Psalmist, 
'*For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but Thou hast 
received me," — or, with our Lord Himself: He is my mother, 
my brother, and my sister, who doth the will of my Father in 
heaven." 

But you also renounce the world, in order that you may offer 
to Christ, Who is the Spouse of the soul, all the pure love of 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 69 

the heart. To do this effectually, how absolute total and deter- 
mined must be your renunciation of worldly attractions. Jesus 
loves the soul consecrated to His service, but with a jealous love. 
" For I am jealous for you," says the Apostle, " with Godly zeal, 
for I have espoused you to one man, to present you a chaste 
virgin to Christ." This jealousy of our Lord, of the love of the 
consecrated soul extends to everything which is not associated with 
His service. Is there any one of our senses with which we de- 
tect, and, as it were, touch the objects around us so quickly, and 
at the same time so delicately as we do with the sense of sight ? 
And yet such is the jealous love of our Lord, that the white veil 
is placed over the head to warn you that even this liberty should 
be indulged in with extreme caution, so that the veil is intended 
as much to protect your own sight from whatever may be incom- 
patible with your love of Christ, as to guard your modesty from 
the licentious eyes of men ; and finally you deny yourself by re- 
nouncing your own will. You subject it so completely to the 
direction of another, that no one can say whether your will belongs 
to you or your Superior. 

This renunciation is so supreme, that the cloister is called by 
one of the early Fathers, "the grave of self-will." It is a great 
sacrifice, and it would be a sacrilege to make any reservation in 
the offering. Ophnee and Phinees, for taking a part only of the 
meat offered by the Hebrews to the Most High, were stricken 
with their army, by the sword of the Philistines, and the High 
Priest, their Father, fell back dead, and the Ark of the Covenant 
was captured by the enemies of God. No wonder, then, that 
Isaiah the prophet exclaims : " I am the Lord who loves justice 
and hate robbery in a holocaust." If such be the divine indigna- 
tion against those who rob God of the fat of animals, what would 
be the measure of the guilt in those who would deprive Him of 



1 70 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

a living victim, sanctified by His blood and withdrawn from the 
world to be sanctified in His service. See how dreadful is the re- 
sponsibility of those who make the religious vows. How careful 
should they be that the sacrifice be complete, that there should be 
" no robbery of the holocaust." But let them look up with a 
holy hope to God, who loved not the world and the world loved 
not Him, and ask Him to receive the sacrifice you are ready to 
oflfer, that it may be unreserved, unhesitating, never to be revoked, 
never to be regretted. In the second place, our Divine Leader 
tells us that we must not only deny ourselves, but take up our 
cross daily. By the cross is meant the warfare we must wage 
with the world, and the desires of the flesh and blood which we 
must crucify like our Divine Master. This, we are told, we must 
do daily, because there is to be no rest — the victory gained to-day 
is a preparation only for the conflict to-morrow. A perpetual battle 
with our enemies whilst on earth, can alone win the throne and 
crown of immortality. To understand this in a plainer sense, let us 
consider the nature of a vow. — Some are for a short time, others 
are forever. Yours, I trust, though temporary now, will one day 
be perpetual. It is by religion, say the theologians, that we are 
united to God, and the vow, according to their definition, is an 
act which imparts a sacred strength to our union. Although all 
we possess belongs by a natural right to the Creator, nevertheless 
He has left us a certain power over our actions, so that we may 
form in our souls an image, however indistinct of His absolute 
sovereignty. Now it is this power over your actions, which, by 
your vow, you transfer to God. You present Him the highest 
offering a human mind can make — your free will. It is, next to 
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the grandest oblation a creature 
can offer to the Creator. The soul, by this act, establishes a most 
intimate union with God, — she passes as if from earth to heaven, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 171 

and begins to feel that intimate relation which exists between God 
and the soul in eternity. Such is the homage you render to-day 
to that All-Supreme and Infinite Being. And there is this which 
is remarkable about your vow, that, while other acts of homage 
cease as soon as they are performed, the homage of the conse- 
crated soul never ceases — it endures forever. It begins on earth, 
but it lasts through eternity. Thus the life of a religious, if she 
be true to her vocation, is an everlasting act of homage. If she 
forfeit the grace of God, then she is a " robber of the holocaust," 
and all the magnificent edifices of spiritual life falls into ruin and 
is dishonored even on earth, and she who had built it is despised 
even by sinners. Yet, what a sublime vocation is this of the 
religious life, and what care should be taken that nothing occur 
to dim its splendor in the eye of heaven. The life of the religious 
should be like a grand picture, in which no defect can be per- 
ceived, its lights and shadows, grace and nature aiding each other 
to produce a perfect work. How should such a one watch over 
every incident and moment of time, that no one may be able to 
say to her what St. Paul said, in reproach to the Galatians : 
"Are you so foolish, that, having begun in the spirit, you would 
now end in the flesh ? " Have you suffered such great things 
"in vain?" It is a great thing to renounce the world, to deny 
yourself and take up the cross daily, — and, shall it be in vain ? 
God forbid ! Wherefore be faithful unto death, acting truthfully 
in all love, says the Apostle, " that you may grow in all things 
in Him who is the head, Christ." Finally, we must not only re- 
nounce the world and take up the cross, but follow Christ, the 
crowning glory of religious life. 

*' He who loves Me will follow Me." True, He says : " I will 
lead you into great dangers, but remember that I have not com- 
manded you to precede, but to follow Me." "We have a High 



172 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Priest" says the Apostle, "who can have compassion on our 
necessities, hence He commands us to follow Him. When two 
difficulties occur in the same object, — the necessity of following 
and the impossibility of overtaking His Divine Person, all that 
remains for us is to advance constantl}^ — because Christ is our 
model. We see in His actions the light of His virtues and the 
degree of perfection which He desires us to attain. We must, 
therefore, follow Him incessantly. "I press forward toward the 
mark," says St. Paul, " for the prize from above is Christ Jesus." 
Philip, ni, 12. "I forget "he says" the things that are behind, — 
I stretch myself to those that are before." And from this expres- 
sion, we may judge that perfection does not exist in any fixed 
and definite degree, but that the soul must follow from virtue to 
virtue, from mountain to mountain, in the great highway to heaven. 
Another reason why you should be anxious to accumulate treasures 
in heaven, while a resident of the cloister, is that you may be 
prepared to meet the future, whether it be in storm or sunshine. 

Be rich in graces, that when the danger comes you may 
possess your soul in peace and patience. May you never know 
what calamity is. For more than twenty years the sun has risen 
and set on this secluded home, and, during all that time, no 
serious trials have disturbed the tranquility of its inmates. Have 
other religious houses been so privileged? No, and yet why should 
you have been so carefully protected by the angels? In Italy, in 
Spain, in Austria, in Mexico, how many holy women have been 
driven into the streets, or, look to South America. I mention 
these things that you may fear God and pray that no such terrible 
trials be required to prove your virtue. 

Let this day be for you, my dear sisters, a memorable day, from 
which you are hereafter to count the years of your life, a day 
on which you lose a few things, yet gain all things. But, remem- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 73 

ber the world which you have abandoned has intelligence and 
forethought, and is crafty in wisdom, and that it will persecute 
you in one way or another while you live. Every attempt will 
be made to embarrass you by its artifices. Who can expect to 
escape when Jesus was Himself tempted, and, though he banished 
Satan, the Apostle tells us that he left Him only for a time ! Let 
not the soul made in the likeness of God, brilliant with grace and 
immortality, be ever eclipsed by the dark wings of the evil one. 
Relax not your efforts ; do not tire of the presence of God, be 
not weary of obedience ; let the sweet light of charity be on 
your face and on your lips and in your heart, and no evil can 
ever befall you in this holy solitude." 

Another pure white lily was gathered in the spring time of 
the year, from the little garden of souls yearly planted at St. 
Martin's. Little Mar}^ Rickey, daughter of one of the beloved 
pupils of the early days, Mary Townsend and Mr. John Rickey 
of Cincinnati, died after an attack of inflammatory rheumatism, 
April I St. She was a child of unusual intelligence and loveli- 
ness of character, and her beautiful soul was ready for heaven. 
Her sorrowing mother watched her last moments, and when all 
was over, the little form shrouded in the robes of death, was 
taken to the Convent * entrance, between the tearful ranks of assem- 
bled sisters and pupils, to the bereaved home in Cincinnati. 

On the eleventh of the beautiful month of May, all were 
assembled in the little chapel to witness the holy profession of 
Sister Mary Sebastian Collins and Sister Mary Lucy Ward. The 
Most Reverend Archbishop was accompanied on this happy occasion 
by Reverend Father Anderdon, a nephew of Cardinal Manning, who 
preached a most beautiful sermon, and who quite won the hearts 
of all the pupils by his gentle goodness. In the afternoon the 
clothing of Sister Miriam Adam of Quebec took place, the Most 



174 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Reverend Archbishop again officiating, and the Reverend Dr. 
Anderdon preaching in French. 

Again, on the twenty-first, the Retreat preached by Bishop 
Rosecrans was ended by the First Communicants receiving the 
Bread of Angels, and the day joyously spent in the company of 
Bishop Macheboeuf, who was now on his first visit to the Holy 
Father. The Commencement day was a pleasant one to all, and 
a beautiful programme entertained the evening visitors. Miss Menza 
Rosecrans was graduated. 

Early in the autumn, the Most Reverend Archbishop took 
passage for Rome, to attend the Council of the Vatican. During 
his absence, Bishop Rosecrans officiates at the clothing of Sister 
Gabriel Dohan and Sister Louis Lamur on December 13th. Frequent 
letters are received from the Most Reverend Archbishop who 
reports excellent health, not only for himself, but for all the ecclesi- 
astical students of the diocese who are preparing for the priest- 
hood in the eternal city. 





CHAPTER VII. 



1870 — 1880. 




HE decade of years closed by 1869, ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ almost 
cloudless sunshine in the social life of the community 
of continued advance in its reputation as a seat of 
learning, refinement and piety, and in the financial 
success which an ever-increasing number of pupils secured. The 
foundation of its religious spirit had been laid on the solid basis 
of Christian virtues, possessed in no mean degree by those heroic 
souls who stand as beacon lights in the haze that now envelopes 
its early morning. But, in the decade which we now approach, 
the noontide of its fifty years, these lights of the morning are to be 
dimmed and shrouded, and their lustre to be removed from our 
midst ; their virtues to be no longer an every day incentive to 
the novice who imitates them, or the older companions who have 
learned in long years to value their priceless example. Whilst the 
good works of Mother Stanislaus gathered from the earth, still 
following her, are to be offered as an eternal tribute to the sacred 
humanity of Christ, their fountain and model. Mother Julia, by 
(175) 



176 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

her patience and fortitude, is yet to be the strong arm, clasping 
the sisterhood in an embrace on which it can lean for a few 
years, till she too shall be called to be its intercessor in heaven 
instead of its mother on earth. 

The dearly loved and gentle "Ma Mere," always delicate and 
suffering, yet always at her post as Mistress of Novices and 
Directress of the school, had seemed, for a year or more, to have 
some premonition of her approaching end. She would frequently 
speak of death, of the vanity of considering any one really neces- 
sary to the well-being and prosperity of any supernatural work, 
such as the religious life, and every outward manifestation of her 
inward or spiritual life seemed to indicate the constant thought of 
preparation for the closing scenes of earthly existence. On New 
Year's day, 1870, she gave to each member of the community a little 
souvenir picture of Venerable Mother Mary of the Incarnation, on 
which she wrote in ink, "Pray for Ma Mere, living or dead." As 
she distributed the pictures at the recreation, every one remonstrated 
at the sentence she had written, wishing her to change it, but noth- 
ing could induce her to do so. She passed through the months 
of January and February, ailing at times, and suffering from 
frequent colds, but always prompt to her duties as Assistant, as 
Mistress of Novices, and to those of the class-room. Early in 
March being much occupied in making plans for the decoration 
of the chapel of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin for the approach- 
ing festival of the Annunciation, when several children of Mary 
were to be received, she contracted a severe cold, and, on the 
thirteenth, a serious illness began with a chill. In a few days, 
the attending physician, Dr. Hall, declared the case an attack of 
pneumonia, which, though slight, might, at her age, prove fatal. 
The disease progressed, though slowly during the week, and not 
until the morning of Sunday the twentieth were the symptons 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



177 



such as to indicate danger of death. It was decided that the 
last sacraments should be given, and slowly, reverently and tear- 
fully her sisters and novices grouped around the dying bed- 
side of her they loved so well. The short confession heard by 
Father Cheymol, Father Dutton gave to the dying lips for the 
last time the Bread of Immortal Life. Just as he repeated the 
'^ Domine non sum dignus'' for the third time, the faint voice 
drew his ear close to the fast escaping breath, and whispered 
a few low words. Father Dutton, turning to those who knelt 
around, said, that though too weak to make herself heard, Ma Mere 
wished, before receiving the Holy Viaticum, to ask pardon of any 
and all, whom she might ever have, in any way offended in the 
course of her life. Tears and sobs were the only answer of the 
weeping sisters to this closing act of an humble life, and they 
could only pray that it should meet a merciful recompense from 
Him, who had said: "Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble 
of heart." The sacrament of Extreme Unction administered by 
Father Cheymol, all departed from the loved presence, with the 
faint hope that the efficacy of this Holy Sacrament might yet raise 
up the stricken servant of God. But prayers and hopes were in 
vain, heaven had whispered its command, as it had spoken its 
invitation to her young heart, when, in the beautiful words of the 
church it had said to her in her youth, ** Vent sponsa mea^ veni 
de Libano, veni coronaberis.^' With no thought of the seemingly un- 
finished work she was leaving in the community, for which she 
had so long labored, with no regret in her heart, and naught but 
peace in her saintly countenance, she joined in the prayers that 
were murmured in broken accents about her, until about ten 
o'clock, when the last breath set free her pure soul to soar to the 
feet of her Saviour and Judge. 

On the twenty- second, after a Requiem Mass, the loved re- 
mains were carried to their last resting place, and the sad reality 



178 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

was forced upon one and all that Ma Mere had gone forever 
from our midst. There was no sermon preached at her funeral, 
each heart spoke to itself .too eloquently to need the words 
of another in eulogy of the deceased. Many friends wrote 
loving tributes to her memory. Said one : " Her life was beauti- 
ful because it was pious. To her graces of person and manner 
was added the grace of a most devoted servant of God. How 
sadly will the news of her death be whispered with tears in the 
homes of many friends who knew her only to love her, and how 
much heart-felt sorrow will be consecrated to her memory. We 
condole with the Mother Superior and community so sadly afflicted 
by her death ; but we rejoice that another daughter of St. Ursula 
has won her crown of glory." 

Many beautiful words, breathing sympathy for their loss and 
love for the dead were sent to the community by friends from 
every side. The gifted Una, Mrs. Aug. Ford of New York, 
formerly a pupil, writes some touching lines : 

Gone O Ma M^re, forever! 

Our hearts are sad and sore 

Some might have prized thee better 

But none could love thee more. 

We'll miss thy voice of counsel, 

Thy ever busy hand, 

Thy guiding mind unbiased. 

And broad and free and grand. 

Bright be thy place in glory, 
Ma M^re! Thy dwelling here. 
Has made our world far better. 
Forgive the useless tear; 
We trust the Dear Anointed — 
The King with thorn-pierced brow, 
And Mary, Queen of Angels 
Are smiling on thee now. 
O friend, revered, lamented 
Farewell! Farewell! we'll prayl 
At home with God to meet thee, 
In realms of endless day. 




MOTHER STANISLAUS. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 79 

A flower loved and tender with special care by Ma Mere, 
because sent to her from her home in Beaulieu, is suggestive to Una 
of the following lines : 

TO MA HERB'S JONQUILLE. 
Pale child of the spring-time, thy golden stars gleam, 

Away in a far sunny land. 
And warmed by the breath of that sweet southern clime 

In fragrance and beauty expand. 
Then what dost thou hear, where the cold northern blast 

On fierce icy pinions sweeps by? 
Why brave the wild air of our chill wintry clime, 

Fair child of a sunnier sky? 

Oh! sweet little blossom, out here in the storm 

'Tis love makes the starry eyes shine. 
To gladden the heart of a friend, thou didst leave 

The land of the olive and vine ; 
Nursed then by her care, thou hast followed her here, 

To bloom 'neath her fostering hand ; 
Inhaling thy fragrance, she'll fancy she breathes 

The air of her loved native land. 

Then offer thy incense with glad grateful heart, 

Thy guardian's kind care to repay; 
And here in the shade of the cloister recall, 

Her dear convent home far away. 
Long, long may'st thou bloom, ere the Angels shall bear 

Her off to the bright world on high, 
To walk with the blest in the gardens of God 

Where blossoms ne'er wither or die. 

Sudden as was the death of Ma Mere, unexpected as was 
the going out of the light of her life in our midst, another illness 
preceding hers, occurred in the circle of our little world, quite 
as rapid in its fatal development. A saintly young girl, Hannah 
Murphy, daughter of Mr. Daniel Murphy, living in the parish of 
St. Martin's was attacked violently by peritonitis on March 13th, 
and so steady and rapid was the progress of the disease, that it 
was deemed necessary to administer the sacraments on the third 
day of her illness. She lived but a few hours after the devout 



l8o FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

reception of the Holy Viaticum, and after the Solemn Requiem 
Mass she was followed by the mourning family and the sisters 
to the little cemetery where she rests as precious seed sown in 
mortality, to spring up in the light and beauty of life immortal. 

The community offices of Assistant, Mistress of Novices and 
Directress of the School, all so ably filled by Mother Stanislaus, 
fell now upon other shoulders. Mother Ursula Dodds being raised 
to the responsible positions of Assistant and Mistress of Novices, 
while Sister Michel Bradley was made Directress of Studies. The 
year passes on with its usual events of visits, retreats, religious 
professions etc., that of Sister M. Baptista Freaner occurring on 
May 1st. 

The Commencement was well noticed, even by a more severely 
critical press than that which had heretofore given forth its annual 
round of praises. The only graduate was Miss Blanche Barry 
of Baltimore. The cheering presence of the Most Reverend Arch- 
bishop was missed, as he had not returned from his attendance 
at the Vatican Council. Not for years had His Grace been 
so long separated from his flock, and never was prelate greeted by 
a more enthusiastic welcome, than that given him on his return on 
the twelfth of August. The preparations for his reception were made 
upon a grand scale, and were shared in by all the church societies 
of Cincinnati, Covington and Newport, whilst a delegation was sent 
to New York to accompany the reverend prelate to Cincinnati. 

Owing however, to some obstruction on the railroad caused 
by the burning of a bridge over the Susquehanna River, the train 
was delayed until half-past six in the afternoon, when the merry 
peals of the church-bell announced the home-coming of His Grace. 
Round the depot, was an orderly, gayly attired multitude, which 
manifested unqualified delight by rousing cheers and waving of 
hats, handkerchiefs and banners, joined with bands of music, which 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. l8l 

swelled the volume of welcoming sounds with their merry strains, 
as the happy face and well-known form of him, whom they loved 
as a father and venerated as their bishop, appeared on the plat- 
form of the car, to bow his heart's acknowledgement of their 
joyful demonstrations. The address of welcome delivered by Mr. 
C. W. Murphy, was spoken from the soul ; in it the speaker 
said it was impossible to convey or give adequate expression to 
the joy and gratitude to God, that filled the heart of that vast 
multitude for having preserved their revered Archbishop from every 
danger during his long absence, and for again placing him in 
their midst in the full enjoyment of health. The Archbishop 
responded in his usual quiet, undemonstrative, but interested man- 
ner, assuring them that he was glad to get back to Cincinnati, 
still more glad to see his friends, and thankful for the hearty 
welcome they had given him. 

The procession then formed in line, a band of little orphan 
girls from the Cumminsville Asylum sat in a gayly decorated 
wagon, canopied with white, waving green branches in cadence to 
a song of joy, whilst bands of music discoursed patriotic airs as 
the crowd moved along to the Cathedral. Here arches of ever- 
green had been erected at the entrance gate, at the Cathedral 
door, one in the center aisle, and another at the sanctuary gate, 
surmounted by a gilt cross. At the door of the Cathedral, His 
Grace was received by Reverend Father Callaghan and a body of 
robed priests, bearing lighted candles, who preceded him down 
the center aisle to the alter railing, where stood a band of airly 
clad little girls from St. Peter's Asylum, bearing bouquets, and 
wearing wreaths of flowers. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament 
was given, and at its close, the voice of the Archbishop was first 
heard reciting the Pater Noster, and at its tremulous but well re- 
membered tones, both men and women wept in uniting with grate- 



1 82 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

ful hearts in the beautiful prayer that has made all mankind one 
in the Great Adorable Heart of our Common Father. The religious 
ceremony over, the clergy, the orphans, personal friends, all thronged 
around the Archbishop in his residence, to manifest their sincere 
and unrestrained affection. But the children ! The summons of 
the good Father, — " Tell the children to come into my room 
and get some cakes," was the signal for a rush into the room 
at the head of the stairs, thus opening a passage way for the 
exit of many who had joyfully participated in a scene long to 
be remembered by hosts of friends and well wishers. ■ 

The autumn of this year, particularly the opening month of 
September, was crowded with trials, crosses strong enough to bring 
out in bold relief the fortitude of Mother Julia, and those who 
shared with her the responsibilities of governing the household. 
On the Saturday evening preceding the first Monday of Septem- 
ber, the day appointed for the re-opening of the classes, came the 
first of the series of reverses marking the remaining months ot 
1870. But just as surely were they stamped with the protecting 
care of Divine Providence in no case more notably than in that 
of the burning of the works of the gasoline machine, which sup- 
plied the lighting of the house. Just as Notre Mere and the older 
religious were returning from a short walk after supper, word was 
brought to her that the little wooden building covering the gas 
works was^ in flames. True, it was of small dimensions, but its 
nearness to the outbuildings and the main brick building, placed 
the last named at once in great peril. The tank containing the 
gasoline was buried in the earth, but there was danger of its be- 
coming so heated as to render an explosion imminent. Soon the 
grounds were filled with the kind neighbors, ever-prompt when the 
Convent is in need, called together by the light of the flames 
and the unusual ringing of the bell, some coming from as far as 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 83 

Fa^^etteville. Father Button had gone to Westboro, expecting to 
meet Father Purcell at the coming of the evening train, and soon 
both were on the scene of action. Recognizing at once that the 
great danger lay in the probable heating of the copper tank con- 
taining the gasoline, Father Button, at the risk of his life, opened 
the vault in which it was placed, and, followed by the devoted 
and trusty baker of the institution, Aleck Suhr, he succeeded in 
tying a rope around the tank, and dragged it to a place of safety. 
The light frame covering was soon consumed, and in an hour all 
danger was over, all anxiety merged into prayers of gratitude to 
God for His gracious deliverance from greater danger, and of 
heart-felt thanks to the generous men who had worked so nobly 
in the hour of our distress. 

In hours of peril such as this, the presence of one stricken 
with mortal illness, always augments the grief of the moment. Just 
at this time, Sister Gonzaga Moran's death was daily expected. 
Still young, professed, about seven years, she had returned early 
in the spring from the Convent of Opelousas, whither she had gone 
to the aid of Mother St. Peter, about two j^ears before. Falling 
into ill health very soon after her arrival in Louisiana, she longed 
to come home to spend the few remaining months of life that she 
felt to be hers. Patiently she waited for her release from earth 
for her summons to the true life of heaven, and it came at last 
on the night of the seventh of September. 

Hardly were the sacred remains laid away, when two sisters 
fell so dangerously ill as to call for the administration of the last 
sacraments ; and sad were the hearts of all at the thought of death 
being again so soon in our midst. But they were soon lifted up 
by the joyful news that the Archbishop had arrived unannounced 
in the omnibus^ for his visit and blessing meant balm to the sick 
and suffering. He had evaded the preparation and reception that 



184 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

he knew would await him, by steahng in, as it were, upon the 
surprised community, but, in a week or two he was to give the 
sacrament of confirmation in a neighboring church, when he grace- 
fully submitted to a play and reception to honor his home-coming 
from the great Vatican. 

Again on October 29th, another beautiful soul. Sister Philo- 
mena, whose conversion to the faith occurred in the early years of 
our history, is summoned to join the little band that has already 
gone, and the year 1870 is closed and signed with the priceless 
seal of suffering, the great mystery of which can be seen only by 
the eye that penetrates the darkness enveloping the cross-enthroned 
height of Calvary. 

Immediately after the burning of the gas works in September, 
preparations were begun for the manufacture of coal gas, a large 
cistern for the gasometer being dug, and a brick and iron build- 
ing erected near the site of the burned works. It proved a 
success, and the accident was soon forgotten in the enjoyment of 
the greater brilliancy and more certain supply of the new lighting. 

The winter months of 187 1 pass and are quickly merged into 
spring, when April 27th brings the happy day of holy profession 
to Sister Dionysia Borgess, Sister Raphael MacMahon and Sister 
Mary Keefe. The Right Reverend Bishop of Detroit, brother of 
the first named, officiated on the occasion, while the Most Reverend 
Archbishop preached. 

The most marked feature of the Commencement this year, 
was the large class presented for the reception of graduating 
honors. The Telegraph says : " There were present the Most Rev- 
erend Archbishop and a number of the Reverend Clergy, and 
several of the old graduates of St. Martin's whose attachment to 
this home of piety and learning, years of absence can not diminish. 
After the entrance march, the names of the seven graduates were 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 85 

called, Miss Minnie Dunn, of London, O ; Miss Lizzette Maginnis, 
of Zanesville, O ; Miss Susan O'Hara, of Covington, K}^ : Miss 
Theresa Slevin, Miss Emma Hart, Miss Louise Carrick and Miss 
Emma Davis, of Cincinnati, O." 

The Devotion of the Forty Hours, w^hich precedes the com- 
munity elections was most devoutly held early in August, and, on 
the fourteenth of the same month, Mother Julia, though suffering 
and showing the approaches of age, again consented to a re-election, 
while the office of Assistant was filled by Mother Theresa Sherlock, 
of Zelatrice, and Directress of Studies by Mother Berchmans O'Con- 
nor, of Treasurer, Mother Xavier Carolan. 

Good Father Cheymol and the old friends of Bishop Lamy 
were much rejoiced by a visit from the veteran missionary during 
the course of the A^ear. He had left his poor and distant diocese 
to make an appeal for aid to the Catholics of the East, that he 
might build a suitable Cathedral and schools for the children of 
his flock. It was now twent^^ years since he had accepted with 
the Christian resignation for which he asked prayers in one of 
the letters we gave from his pen, the bishopric of Santa Fe, then 
an almost limitless wilderness, embracing an extent of countr^^ that 
has since been divided into three territories. His episcopal life in 
its labors and dangers would, if written, read like a volume of 
Catholic missions in a heathen land and a foreign country. But 
the humility and modesty of this soldier of the cross hid the 
greatness of his life of sacrifice, that will only be known where 
its reward may be fitly given. His appeal was not unrewarded — 
his many friends in the missions of Ohio felt that they were 
paying a debt of gratitude to him who had labored so zealously 
in the early years, and responded generously to the call. A few 
days of rest, and he was again at his Herculean task, to him a labor 
of love from his great charity. 



1 86 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Early in March, Sister St. John, who for two or three years 
had made a staunch resistance to the insidious disease, consump- 
tion, gave evidence that the brave fight would not be won, and 
that her long life of unbroken usefulness to the community was 
drawing to a close. Her remains were followed to the little 
cemetery on Palm Sunday, and the memory of her virtues lives 
in the hearts of those who knew the strong and solid base of 
natural gifts on which they were built. 

The year 1872 offers but few events of interest. On May 7th, 
four sisters pronounced their holy vows in presence of the Most 
Reverend Archbishop, Sister Gabriel Dohan, Sister Louis Lamur, 
Sister Benedict O'Keefe, and Sister DeSales Moran. Reverend 
Dr. J. J. Callaghan preached an eloquent sermon on the occasion. 

The Commencement was held on the twenty-seventh of June, 
Miss Lilly, second daughter of General Rosecrans, being the only 
graduate. A very fine programme was beautifully rendered. The 
choruses, one of them comprising over forty singers, were almost 
faultlessly given. 

If the "oldest inhabitant" of the Convent or its neighborhood 
will take a backward glance of about twenty years or more, the 
strange word " epizootic " will rise in the memory in connection 
with this period. It was at that time the classic name for the 
now well-known and too well established " grippe," and its ety- 
mology shows that this disease was at first confined to the lower 
animals. Making its first appearance in the winter of 1873, it 
first attacked the horses, particularly those used in the street cars, 
and it was made by a scholarly stroke of wit, to hide its ugly 
self under the high sounding name of hipporhinrhea ! But soon 
the higher animal was writhing in the grip of the microscopic 
baccillus, and every family had its own experience of the trying 
disease. Reaching the large household at Brown County, it attacked 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 87 

the older members of the sisterhood with some violence, but the 
youth and vigor of the younger sisters enabled them to resist its 
attacks, and in a week or two all were in usual health. 

But one dear child fell a victim to pneumonia during the 
month of January. Katie Stoeckle, of Cincinnati, aged about four- 
teen, was seized with this illness almost immediately after her re- 
turn to school from the Christmas holidays, and, after two weeks 
of struggle of anxious care and watching on the part of her de- 
voted mother and the religious, the youthful eyes were closed in 
death, to bask, we humbly hope, forever in the eternal sunlight 
of God's love. She was followed in about two weeks by one who 
had passed the three score years allotted to man, Sister Bernard, 
who, it will be remembered, was Ma Mere's companion on the 
memorable night of their flight from Beaulieu. After an attack of 
influenza, which, at her age was serious, she relapsed into pneu- 
monia, and, having received all the consolations of religion, she 
calmly expired on February i6th. 

These two bereavements coming so quickly one upon the other, 
seemed a preparation sent by a kind Providence for a greater one 
to follow them. Each day the failing health of Mother Julia be- 
came more evident to the solicitous eyes that watched her heroic 
efforts to fulfill the duties of her responsible office, but an attack of 
erysipelas, following close upon the influenza, brought her so near 
to death, that it was deemed advisable to administer the last sacra- 
ments. So hopeful however were the physician and nurses of her 
recovery, that the ceremony was as private as possible, and therefore 
less distressing to her own and other hearts. Their hopes were not 
in vain, for by degrees her naturally strong constitution threw off' 
the disease, and in May she was again able to join in the recrea- 
tions of the communit}^ But she never fully recovered her vigor, 
and her decline may be considered to have dated from this time. 



1 88 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

The first profession solemnized without her presence, since the 
bright October day in 1847, when Sister Hyacinthe made her 
vows, that of Sister Miriam Adam, took place May 15th. The 
Most Reverend Archbishop preached upon the solemn occasion. 

The Telegraph of June 26th says: "There was a brilliant 
Commencement held at St. Martin's on the 24th inst., and we 
hope that some of those who had the pleasure of being present at 
the literary and musical feast will favor us with a description of 
the event, worthy of this time-honored home of Christian educa- 
tion." The editor's hint was followed, and a correspondent gives 
us in the next issue a laudatory account of the exercise, and men- 
tions that a distinctive mark of the education given by the Ursu- 
lines, apart from the graceful manners of the pupils, seems to be 
to impart a special taste for the purest classical music. The Vale- 
dictory was spoken by the only graduate, Miss Anais Hale, of 
New Orleans. 

If the death-roll of our members seems to swell in number 
each successive year, it must be remembered that up to this period, 
the twenty-eighth year of the house, only seven sisters had gone 
to their rest in the little grave-yard. Age and infirmities were 
creeping slowly upon the brave workers of the early days, and 
many of the first received into the house are now in middle life, 
whilst among the young are those in whom the seeds of consump- 
tion are early developed by the confining labors of the class-room. 
Sister Benedict Keefe slept peacefully in our Lord in September 
of this year, after a few months of pulmonary consumption, — a re- 
ligious life early ended, for she had pronounced her holy vows but 
sixteen months before. 

Eighteen hundred and seventy four was ushered in by an event 
still having its yearly commemoration on New Year's day. By 
a special invitation of the Holy Father, the reverend clergy, churches. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 89 

religious communities, institutions and congregations throughout the 
Christian world, were solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus. This invitation was accepted with great joy by the com- 
munity of St. Martin's, for devotion to the Sacred Heart was 
most truly taught. We have seen, that love for the Immaculate 
Heart of the Mother, gave to its name and patroness, and surely, 
love for the Mother's Immaculate Heart can flow only from an 
intense love of the Divine Heart of the Adorable Son. Therefore 
this consecration was hailed with joy, and great preparations made 
to have it attended with all due solemnity. It was to be a fresh 
incentive to the imitation of the virtues of the Sacred Heart, to which 
the whole church was now^ turning for protection, and amid the 
joyous music of the Benediction, the floating clouds of incense, the 
hushed adoration and love of heart that swayed the kneeling worship- 
ers, the act of consecration was solemnly read. May its words live 
and vibrate in the hearts of all who pronounced them on that 
memorable day, until eternally echoed back upon their ravished souls 
from their Adorable Fount, the Sacred Heart of Christ Himself ! 
One who was present on that day, was not many months 
after, called to the eternal home. Josephine Lavaur, with her 
younger sisters had been sent from her home in Gagnac, France, 
to the care of her aunt, Mother Angela, to be educated in this 
country. Her naturally delicate constitution weakened under the 
rigors of our climate, and in March of this year our Lord took 
her to Himself in her youth and innocence. With a deep sense 
of gratitude to her kind teachers, and of love for the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus, she made a last request of her parents, that a legacy 
coming to her from her godfather, might be used to erect a 
statue of the Sacred Heart on the beautiful grounds of the Convent. 
Here it still stands, a silent reminder of the year of the consecra- 
tion, and of the grateful heart and early death of the young donor. 



190 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

May 8th brought the long looked for profession day to Sister 
Chantal Kane, Sister Lawrence Shea and Sister Alphonse Costello, 
the Most Reverend Archbishop presiding ; and the following month, 
June 25th, the annual Commencement was held. Bishops Fitzgerald 
of Little Rock and Quinlan of Mobile took this happy occasion 
of visiting their old friends. 

For the first time, Notre Mere was unable to attend the 
exercises of the Commencement. Her health was broken, she 
had not been able to descend the stairs since her illness of Feb- 
ruary, and by degrees the painful truth was plainly revealed to 
the community that its beloved mother was no longer able to 
shoulder the burden she had borne with unflinching fortitude, for 
well nigh thirty years. Therefore she obtained the consent of 
the Most Reverend Archbishop and Father Pur cell, to her name 
being no longer used as a candidate for any office, at the coming 
elections to be held in August. These resulted therefore in the 
successions of Mother Theresa Sherlock as Mother Superior, Mother 
Ursula Dodds as Assistant, the re-election of Mother Berchmans 
O'Connor as Zelatrice and Mother Xavier Carolan as Treasurer. 

The elections were scarcely over when application was made 
for a colony of Ursulines to accept the organization and charge 
of a parish school in the thriving town of London, Ohio. So 
far there had been more than enough work for the few active 
members of the community, in the large classes of the Academy, 
but these beginning to decrease as other Convents were established 
in the country, and a goodly number of novices constantly making 
application for entrance, it was decided to begin the missionary 
work. Early in September, Mother Superior accompanied by Sister 
Pauline, who had been placed at the head of the little band 
selected for the work, paid a visit to London, in order to choose 
a house suitable for the sisters. The zealous pastor, Father Con- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. I9I 

way immediately beginning the erection of a school house, every- 
thing was in readiness for the opening of the schools in November. 
Sisters Pauline, Gabriel, Bernardine, Raphael, Alphonse and Anthony 
were the pioneers of this mission, and established the parochial 
school on a most solid foundation. It continued to impart the 
elements of a refined, solid Christian education to the hundreds 
of pupils that came under its care, until it was finally given up in 
1883, when the sisters were to be sent to aid the colony established 
in California. 

From this time we may say. Mother Julia gave up all active 
part in the direction of the community, whilst her suffering life, her 
heroic example of patience, no doubt gained for herself a greater 
crown, and for others greater graces, than had yet been granted her. 
Unable from this time until her precious death four years after, to 
descend the stairs leading to the chapel, the inestimable privilege of 
having the Holy Mass offered in the community where she could 
assist, was granted her by the Most Reverend Archbishop. Here 
Father Button officiated each morning and broke to her the Bread 
of Life. Old friends esteemed it a privilege to visit her at times, 
and to minister in any way to her comfort. In October of this year, 
a most handsome and useful rolling chair was presented her, by the 
devoted members of the Gross family of New York. Although she 
was unable to use it on the grounds, as was intended, it must be 
most gratifying to them to know that it afforded much comfort and 
out-door pleasure to the dear Archbishop in after years. 

The chosen month, the month of May, which seemed to be an 
all inspiring one for the novices of St. Martin's, witnesses the pro- 
fession of Sister Bernardine Desmond, Sister Elizabeth Weisz, Sister 
Loretto Phillips and Sister Mary Francis Preston. Whilst these 
fervent Sisters register their vows here on earth, the ardent Sister 
Michel is suddenly called to clasp hers in the closed hands that had 



192 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

worked so faithfully in God's service in her short life. She died 
May I, 1875. Sister Raphael, who was stricken with pulmonary 
trouble, in the London schools, soon followed her to the grave, and 
in August it closed over the young laborer, who was called to her 
rest in the fourth year of her profession. 

The Telegraph says of the Commencement, '* The chief attrac- 
tion was the essays of the graduates, and these were five, — Miss 
Caroline Maginnis, of Zanesville, O. ; Miss Martha Scudder, Miss 
Blanche Darr, Miss Rose Slevin and Miss Florence Lincoln, of 
Cincinnati. The natural and lady like way in which these essays 
were spoken, added not a little to the thoughtful style in which 
they were written. The Commencement was a classical entertain- 
ment in matter and manner, and will long be remembered with 
pleasure." 

Sister St. Charles, oldest daughter of Gen. Rosecrans, and 
Sister St. Clare Mahoney are admitted to holy profession on the 
Feast of the Immaculate Conception of this year. The Right 
Reverend uncle of the former. Bishop Rosecrans, receives the vows, 
and preached a most eloquent sermon. It was not preserved var- 
batim, but that given here, delivered by him, gives the gist of 
the beautiful oration delivered on this auspicious day. 

*' Hear, O daughter, and incline thine ear, and forget thy 
people and the house of thy father, and the King shall desire 
thy comeliness ; for He is thy Lord, thy God." Psalm 54. 

With the emotions belonging to a scene like this dwelling in 
our heart, a cold discussion of the lawfulness of religious vows 
would seem out of place. To these young novices, who have 
by prayer and meditation, on the step they are taking, prepared 
themselves for what we call sacrifice and the angels, nuptials ; to 
these friends whose hearts stand tremulously beating between sorrow 
at the parting and joy at the consummation it would be idle to prove 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 93 

the right of every human soul to choose God for its portion, and 
His sanctuary for its rest for ever and ever. 

You do not need argument to convince you that those who 
are called to it may rightfully follow Christ in His poverty, chastity, 
and His subjection to the will of others, — you know that the 
Convent is a safe home — the vestibule of the house not made with 
hands ; and when you have seen your dear ones clothed with 
its dress, and made inmates of its walls, the only pang you feel 
is not of anxiety for them, but of loneliness for yourselves. But, 
though you appreciate the innocence of the life which these maidens 
have chosen for themselves, permit me to doubt whether you 
justly estimate its real excellence. On the day of her profession, 
the Nun dies to the world. In some orders wrapped in her sombre 
habit, as in a black shroud, she prostrates herself before the altar, 
and little children scatter flowers and leaves upon her as upon 
one departed. " She is buried alive " says the world, because 
she is separated from what it calls life ; and even Catholics thought- 
lessly thank God that she is now disposed of and safe, as if her 
life were to be henceforth an idle, but delicious dream. This is 
a capital mistake. The person who dedicates himself to God by 
religious vows, renounces nothing of true life. On the contrary, 
by the act, he but gives free play to whatever talent and energy 
and power of achieving great things he has received from God. 
His vow to follow Christ is not a vow to shrink from labor or 
danger, but rather to court these with ceaseless activity. Far from 
being a living death or an idle dream, the life of the cloister 
is the one of free activity and the grandest results, and it gives 
the fullest scope to all that is sublime in human genius, praise- 
worthy in human energy, heroic in human courage. Every action 
must have two conditions to entitle its performer to the character 
of great. It must belong to him as originator, and it must achieve 



194 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

some great end. The agents of great revolutions in society are 
not called great because they do not originate and control the events 
which give them prominence, but are waifs floating on the surface, 
or sinking into the depths by the impulse of a power not their 
own. So let one originate ever so much in small matters, he is 
not a great, but a little, a ** fussy" man, if he be overactive. 
Now, life is but a series of actions. To be great, it must be free, 
or self-controlled, self-guided, and it must achieve some lofty end. 
Apply these tests of excellence to the life in the world and in the 
cloister, and see which of the two is the most excellent. Anyone 
who undertakes for the first time, in earnest, the task of self- 
examination, will be startled to find how little of what he calls his 
life, has been, in the full sense of the word, his own. He did 
not choose his race, his color, his physical development, the preju- 
dices of his education, the influence of his associates, the circum- 
stances of his rank and social position. Yet these gave their bent 
to the lives of most men. Ask every'one you meet how he hap- 
pened to be of the trade or profession, or business he follows, and 
ninety-nine out of every hundred will answer their family, their 
education, their peculiar circumstances forced them into it. To the 
great mass, the main drift of life is a foregone conclusion, long 
before they have time to reflect upon it enough even to see what 
it is ; and the only liberty they find left them, is in carrying out 
its details from day to day. Yet even here is liberty fearfully 
abridged by want of reflection. The mind is usually in such a 
hurry, is stirred by so many rushing emotions and vivid fancies, 
that the power of calm thought, of looking before leaping, is nearly 
all the time stunned and baffled. It is this which makes life to 
those who have reached its close, in the emphatic language of 
scripture, like the dream of one rising from sleep. We lay our 
head upon a pillow for a few moments, and, in dreams, we 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 95 

undertake vast enterprises, work on them, feel the triumph of suc- 
cess, and the humihations of defeat ; we traverse oceans and con- 
tinents ; witness the beginning and end of great wars ; see little 
children grow up mature, become old and die. Then roused 
from sleep, the dream vanishes. We have traversed no oceans, 
done no work, achieved no success, suffered no defeat, but only- 
dreamed a dream. So when life's fitful fever being ended, the 
soul rises from the body where it has been dreaming, as on a 
couch, and sees, with a vision bounded no longer by the figure 
of this transitory world, the light of eternity, the greatness and 
beauty of God, the brightness of heaven, the vastness of the end- 
less life before it, the splendor of the imperishable goods it has 
either lost or won, it can not but regard the life it lived in the 
flesh as a dream of one rising from sleep. Look back, now, 
upon that part of your life which is buried with the past, and 
what is it to you but a dream. The emotions of hope and fear, 
joy and sorrow, desire and aversion that made time seem long to 
you, are gone now forever. You can re-call the fact of having 
been excited by them, but you can not re-awaken the feeling. 
As the harp remains all the same, whether the music was sad or 
joyous, when its strings were last touched, so our hearts have no 
record left on them of the emotions that thrill them from the 
touch of passing events, but the cold simple consciousness of guilt 
incurred or merit won. 

Thus it is in dying persons, the entire record of a life can 
be crowded into the thought of an instant, — comprising, as it does, 
only the number of its good and evil deeds. What the world 
calls life, active, bustling, laborious life, is but a dream of ambi- 
tion, or of avarice, or sensuality. Awakening at the threshold of 
eternity, out of the reach of earthly honor, or praise, or flattery, 
the soul that coveted aggrandizement, starts with astonishment at 



196 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

finding out its own delusion. ** I have been struggling to grasp 
what I thought my soul panted for ; I forgot truth, justice and 
mercy in my eagerness to outstrip my rivals and win power. 
I was mistaken. Won or lost, human power is now to me 
a thing of the past, and an eternity of existence is yet before me. 
I thought I had done much — I have done nothing. I strove for 
what could not help me. ^ I fled from what could not hurt me. 
I have been in a dream." At the same point, the dawn breaks 
upon the soul that has been laying up much good for many years, 
and, as death tears it loose from all its possessions, it exclaims : 
" I thought I knew the philosophy of life. I gathered together 
what I thought would command service and defy want. I exulted 
when my possessions multiplied, but my struggles, my hopes and 
joys were all things of a dream. In the midst of what I thought 
abundance, want has seized upon me, and, with imperishable desires 
still gnawing within me, my hands are empty." Precisely so ; 
though a more overwhelming sense of shame awakens the soul 
that was chained by voluptuousness to the service of the flesh. 
**I thought" it says mournfully, over the corpse it is now freed 
from, " that I was revelling in the joys of life, and leaving its 
cares to fools. Behold — what I called joy, was only fever, and 
wisdom but delirium. Now, at the outset of my unchangeable 
existence, I am naked, blind and miserable ! " 

Yet these three classes of men, all, namely, "that are in the 
world, and of it, the proud, the covetous, the voluptuous — bondsmen, 
from the cradle to the grave — have the assurance to speak of the 
liberty they enjoy, and to pity those, who, by vows of poverty, 
chastity, and obedience, break loose from the fetters that bind them 
and become free ! Slaves of every insolent appetite, of every 
passing whim and fancy — slaves of the unexpected guilt they have 
incurred indulging their caprices ; slaves of fashion and human 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 97 

respect, they cannot understand the glorious liberty of the children 
of God, for which He created them, and wherewith Christ, the 
Redeemer longs to make them free. The freedom of the human 
soul is not in forms of government, not in letting the appetites 
of the body rule life, but the absence of all impediment to its 
seeking union with God — the absence, as St. Augustine says, of 
the ignorance that clogs it and the concupiscence that fetters it. 
It is the power of the soul not to serve, but to rule the flesh 
and its desires. It is not independence of God, but independence 
of all that would prevent us from depending on Him alone. 

Ignorance is bondage, for it makes us do we know not what, 
and, therefore, what we will not. Concupiscence is bondage, for 
it drives us to the evil we will not, and from the good we wish. 

But in the life of the true religious, ignorance and concupi- 
scence cease to reign. Ignorance is removed by faith, made 
practical in meditation and prayer. The soul that has chosen the 
better part, sees, with unerring truthfulness the just value of all 
that surrounds it. It is not carried away by any false glitter of 
transitory goods — not allured into forgetfulness of its true end, 
but from the first step when it has decided to fear no more 
them that can kill the body, but only Him who has power over 
the soul, it goes on, day by day, meditating the law of God, 
and by it, shaping all its thoughts, affections, hopes, desires, so 
as never to have occasion for that remorseful exclamation — Oh ! 
had I but known ! We read of many, who, in the hour of death, 
regretted not having been more fervent in the meditations and 
austerities of their rule ; but of none, who in their last hour were 
sorry for having made and kept the holy vows of poverty, chastity 
and obedience. Concupiscence, — which rules in the lives of the 
great mass, though not removed, is baffled and subdued by the 
discipline and regularity of the cloistered life. The hours of 



198 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

silence and prayer ; the bodily mortification of watching and fast- 
ing ; the continual practice of humble submission, subdue passion 
and chasten the soul. The little austerities of the Convent are 
like picket guards stationed far in advance of the region where 
sin could make any direct attack on the soul. To deny one's 
self what is lawful, prevents the heart from chafing after what 
is forbidden. And the soul that wills only what God wills, must 
always have all its desires, for having but one thought and one 
will with Him, it partakes of His Omnipotence. It feels, indeed, 
the thrills of emotion ; but grace places it above the humiliation 
of human weakness, as the mountain top bathes in the unclouded 
sunlight, while it feels the rush of the storm that is roaring round 
its base. Envy, anger, ambition, hate, avarice, lust, which embitter 
the lives of people of the world, find no entrance in the Convent's 
sacred walls. Like dogs they may bark and snarl around, but 
the heart, remaining true to its vows, they can never come in to 
tear, and rend as they tear and rend, in what is called **society." 

In the Convent, therefore, the soul is freer than in the world ; 
freer from ignorance that deceives it into doing it knows not 

not what, and from passion that drags it into what it would not 

wish ; free to guide itself, to know what it does and do what 

it intends, and, therefore, to say what it does is its own. " But 

grant," — is the unthinking exclamation — *' grant that the soul is 

free" — still — is it not a pity to see persons of talent, beautiful, 

educated, accomplished, ninning away from society, and doing 

nothing, when they might have done so much? And this brings 

on to the second of the two assertions. I have undertaken to prove 

that the results accomplished in the religious life are vaster, more 

worthy the aspirations of a great heart, than could be hoped for 

in the world. Any one who speaks of the vast amount to be 

done in society, cannot surely allude to the ordinary lives of women 



FIFTY liTEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 1 99 

in the world. In them, all that talent, and beauty and education 
can achieve, is to hold gracefully and perhaps advance somewhat, 
social position. 

To do this successfully, is not to do very much. To receive 
and pay visits, to keep up a brilliant and well-regulated household ; 
to talk and to be talked of; and, finally, to fade out and have 
a fashionable funeral is no result to slir a noble ambition. The 
good that one might do to society by remaining in it, must be 
what those who lament over lives given to Christ allude to, when 
they complain. Now, far be it from me to speak lightly of the 
good influence exerted on the home and social circle, by the 
holy life of a Christian matron. The Holy Ghost has said of 
her, **from afar, from the uttermost bounds, is her price." Her 
presence breathes purity, her words inspire virtue and rebuke vice. 
She relieves want, soothes sorrow, teaches all the fear of God. 
The presence of such, scattered through society, holds it from 
being dissolved in it. But ere we deplore in any one the renunci- 
ation of this life, let us see whether, in renouncing, they have not 
adopted one still more fruitful of good results. In the first place, 
we have no right to assume as certain that any one who adopts the 
religious life, would, had she remained in the world, have persevered 
to the end in the practice of those virtues which make her life a 
blessing to all around her. Few in the world live such lives. "Who 
shall find a woman of fortitude?" says Holy Scripture. The soul 
that follows through life, the path marked out for it by God, finds 
the grace that it needs as it journeys along ; bread when it is hungry, 
fountains of water when it is thirsty, gushing up by the wayside. 
Who can say that there are any such laid up for it by any other 
pathway. The car that runs smoothly on its own track, is shattered 
and broken on a track of another gauge, — She, who in the cloister 
is a model of humility, purity, charit}^ disinterestedness and pru- 



200 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

dence, might have been the reverse in the world. Though sincere 
at the outset, the clamor of vanity might have darkened good to 
her eyes, and the fickleness of concupiscence have changed her 
judgment, so that in not following her vocation, she might have lost 
not only the opportunity, but also the desire of doing good. 

In the second place, excellent as is the life of the Christian 
matron ; full as it is of earnest love and heroic self sacrifice, the 
life of the religious is better. The reason is, because the good 
which is an incident in the one, is the business of the other. 
The matron must attend to her family aflfairs, the wants of her 
dependents, the wishes of her superiors, yet so as not to displease 
God. The Nun, undivided in heart, can give herself wholly to 
works of mercy, and think of nothing else but how she may 
please God. Does a cr^^ come up from the battle field of strong 
men, stricken down and perishing for want of care ? She is free 
to take the next train and go to their relief. Does a pestilence 
smite a city and riot in the homes of the poor ? She neglects 
no duty that she owes to any one, when she takes her life in her 
hands and goes to the infected rooms, breathes the poisoned air, 
and brings comfort to the sick through the contagion and dying. 
Do the poor and orphans stretch out their arms for succor ? She 
is free to give them all she has and all she can beg, for she 
has them only to provide for. Do needy children want instruc- 
tions ? She has no standing in society that will be lost, no claims 
that will be neglected by taking her place in the free school, and 
keeping it through life. In one word : she is free from every 
evil that would keep her soul from following Jesus Christ wher- 
ever He may choose to lead, and undertaking any work that would 
redound to Jlis glory. Nor is that part of her life which is hid- 
den with Christ in God barren of results, her interior struggles, 
her watchings and fasts, her meditations and communions have 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 20I 

effects on her own soul that stretch through eternity, — and upon 
society that spread out far heyond the Convent walls. The vast 
frame work of society is held up from falling into chaos and ruin 
by the finger of God ; and the prayers of the pure, as it were, 
are the cords by which He upholds it ! Works of art and monu- 
ments of human genius and labor will pass away with the " figure 
of the world," and then will appear in imperishable beauty, the 
vast consequences of the labors and good works which only God 
noted in the cloister. 

The life you have chosen then is not one of constraint or 
idleness, but of freedom and toil. Let no misgiving about throw- 
ing your gifts away ever ruffle your hearts. Others may have 
done wisely and well, but you have "chosen the better part which 
will not be taken from you." 

The early spring begins to gladden the earth with its return- 
ing verdure when the sod is broken in the little grave-yard, and 
Sister Genevieve Wood is called from the band of the little ones 
of the Fourth Department who loved her, to her last resting place 
in this world. Two months later. Sister Pauline Furnell, who had 
for many years so ably directed the music department of the school, 
and who had been declining in health since her return from the 
parish schools of London, was stricken with her last illness. 
Patient and edifying in the last hours, as in the many years of 
labor that preceded it, she joyfully paid the common tribute of our 
nature, and rested in our Lord on April 2nd. 

We have so closely followed the principal events in the life 
of the Most Reverend Archbishop Purcell, a life which began with 
the century, and which, during its course, left indelible traces of its 
influence on eveiy soul who came within reach of the , divine fires 
that burned in his zealous heart. He has reached a memorable 
epoch in that life. Fifty years before, on May 21st, 1826, three 



202 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

hundred young aspirants knelt in the grand Cathedral of Notre 
Dame in Paris, to receive at the hands of Archbishop Quelen, 
the sacred dignity and holy office of priesthood. Among them 
was John Baptist Purcell, who, like his patron, the holy Precursor, 
was to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His paths, 
for thousands in the uncatholicized settlements of the young repub- 
lic in the West. Like the great Baptist, he had, from his birth, 
been consecrated by his pious parents for this work, and now the 
day has come when heaven has accepted his and their offerings. 
The remembrance of this day was as fresh in his heart as the 
recollection of his morning's offering of the Holy Sacrifice, when 
the moment came to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. " I can 
never," said the holy prelate to a friend, " forget the emotions 
that swept through my soul, when, for the first time, I drank 
from the sacred chalice, the precious blood of my Redeemer ! " 

The desire to make the celebration of this event the most 
notable demonstration of affection which he had ever received, 
seemed at once to concentrate every individual effort into a great 
union of energy and love. The Telegraph of May i8th, says: 
*' During the last week we have received letters and telegrams from 
all parts of the state, inquiring about the arrangements to cele- 
brate the Golden Jubilee of the Archbishop. The multitude of 
questions from the clergy and laity, show, in the most pleasant and 
convincing way, the strong-hold which the great prelate has won 
for himself by his fifty years of apostolic labor upon the affections 
of unnumbered thousands. To them individually, as well as to 
the Catholic American Church at large, his name, bright and 
venerable in prayer, in daily thought and work, it is hallowed by 
the purest and deepest benedictions of gratitude. ^^ Stolam glorice 
induit eum Dominus.^' God has clothed him with a stole of glory — 
for what can be more glorious in the sight of men and of angels. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 203 

than a prelate crowned with the double honor of gray hairs and 
spotless life, wearing the robe of episcopal authority with no such 
power and yet with so much meekness, that generations have 
clung to it no more with Catholic obedience and loyalty, than 
through child-like confidence and love. 

It is the latter feeling that stirs on the approach of his Golden 
Jubilee, the hearts of all the Catholics of a diocese, which is the 
enduring, breathing, speaking monument of his labors. The com- 
munication that we have received from all quarters show that this 
feeling is seeking for one common form of expression. The con- 
gregations that have multiplied with magical rapidity in every 
passing year of this long episcopal life, to be measured not so 
much by years as works, and to be crowned with a reward 
infinitely greater than man can give, are anxiously waiting for 
Sunday, that they may show they appreciate the spiritual blessings 
they enjoy, by a grateful remembrance to the giver." 

To give some adequate and connected idea of the celebration, 
which began on Sunday morning, and ended Tuesday evening, 
is no small task. There was a Pontifical High Mass on Sunday, 
after which the Archbishop proceeded to St. Patrick's church under 
escort to give confirmation. Here were addresses etc., and the 
Archbishop returned to the Cathedral under escort in time to 
review the grand procession in his honor. A beautiful serenade 
was given by the members of the city choirs about midnight on 
Sunday. On Monday, entertainments at the Academy of Cedar 
Grove and Mt. St. Mary's Seminary. Solemn High Mass on 
Tuesday, after which came a banquet at the Grand Hotel, followed 
by a Jubilee Concert in the Music Hall in the evening. 

*' Sunday, the twenty-first, dawned fair and warm. In every 
town and city within one hundred miles of Cincinnati, thousands 
prepared to come to the latter to do honor to him they had loved 



204 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

and honored so long. From distant places, venerable prelates and 
zealous priests came to testify how rejoiced they felt to congratu- 
late the Archbishop on the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. 

There were present, Archbishops Henni and Wood; Bishops 
Ryan, of St. Louis ; Loughlin, of Brookl^^n ; Quinlan, of Mobile ; 
Dominec, of Allegheny ; Rosecrans, of Columbus ; Fitzgerald of 
Little Rock ; Borgess, of Detroit ; Dwenger, of Ft. Wayne ; Mache- 
boeuf, of Denver ; Conroy, of Albany ; Shanahan, of Harrisburg ; 
Toebbe, of Covington ; and Reverend J. M. Farley, Secretary to 
His Eminence, Cardinal McCloskey. 

The Cathedral never looked so grand. The cross on the 
spire was swathed in evergreens, and on both arms there was an 
American flag. On the top or apex of the divine symbol, a 
large flag fluttered in the brisk west wind, which freshened as 
the day advanced. The columns were decorated from their caps 
to the centers with the same. From each pillar the line of ever- 
greens extended along the northern side to the episcopal residence, 
which was elegantly ornamented from the first story to the roof. 

Inside the Cathedral the decorations were most chaste. A 
long unbroken chain of evergreen wound round each pillar cap, 
and fell downward some ten feet into hood loops, which were 
continued on either side of the sacred edifice. The altar was 
filled with flowers, extending across the upper part, and, — almost 
shutting out the great oil painting of " The Deliverence of St. 
Peter from Prison," — was a broad ground work of evergreens, 
upon which was worked in immortelles, the words, " Gratias agimus 
Tibir 

The tabernacle was flanked with the choicest flowers. Upon its 
cornice, touching the elevation of its dome, a harp of rare flowers 
was most conspicuous. No other mundane ornament appeared ; no 
other was more appropriate. For fourteen hundred years the Cross 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 205 

and harp of Erin, have been the glory and pride of a brave 
people, one of whom has been the first as a priest of the Church 
of God, and of "Erin of the Streams," to celebrate the fiftieth 
anniversary of his ordination. 

The front of the organ gallery was ornamented with long 
loops of evergreens. In the center was the inscription " Glorificanms 
7>," in white roses. From each chandelier, depended a choice 
basket, nest shaped, of flowers. 

The Most Reverend Archbishop Wood pontificated at High 
Mass ; Reverend W. J. Halley, assistant priest ; Reverend John 
Cunningham, deacon ; Reverend Herman Menke, Sub-deacon. The 
Very Reverend E. Purcell, preached eloquently. 

At nine o'clock the Archbishop started from the Cathedral 
to make his annual visit to St. Patrick's, escorted by the Knights 
of St. Patrick and band, the Father Matthew Society, and the 
men of the parish. Eighty-six young people were confirmed ; 
dinner was given at the pastoral residence by Reverend Father 
Mackey ; addresses were delivered by the laity, and the Arch- 
bishop returned to the Cathedral under escort to be present at 
2 130 to review the processions in his honor. 

The procession was one of the most imposing ever seen on 
any religious occasion in Cincinnati. The excitement concerning 
it was not confined to the city. People came crowding by special 
trains, on half a dozen railroads, from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, 
taking advantage of special rates. From information gathered at 
the depots, it was estimated that there must have been about 
twelve thousand strangers in the city. 

The procession comprising eight divisions, with their Marshals, 
uniformed Knights, Benevolent Societies, and Societies of innumer- 
able titles, citizens, congregations, etc., occupied thirty-five minutes 
in passing a given point. Along the route there were large crowds 



I 



206 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

to witness the display, notwithstanding the rain that had begun 
to fall. On many buildings the Papal colors were liberally dis- 
played, and on some of the highest spires of the Catholic churches, 
banners drooped in the rain. 

The City Building had its flags flying in honor of the occa- 
sion, and the Eighth Street front was handsomely decorated with 
evergreens and variously colored banners. Many of the private 
houses in the neighborhood were tastefully decorated. 

Archbishop Purcell witnessed the procession from the second 
story window of the Archiepiscopal Mansion. He was in ordinary 
episcopal vesture, and wore his magnificent gold cross set with 
fifty half carat diamonds, with a full carat diamond in the center — 
the gift of the Bishops of the Province. He was surrounded by 
the distinguished guests and priests of his household, and, as the 
procession passed, the Archbishop was kept busy acknowledging 
the salutations of his people. He made but few remarks, but was 
in an exceedingly pleased frame of mind, and several times expressed 
his regret that his people should get wet in doing him honor. 
At midnight a well organized band of serenaders entered the Ca- 
thedral grounds, and rendered in first-class style some most beauti- 
ful selections of vocal and instnimental music. This was received 
by the honored resident of the palace, as it justly deserved. 

On Monday afternoon, the young ladies of the Academy of 
Cedar Grove, conducted by the Sisters of Charity, had the honor 
of entertaining His Grace, with the rendition of an order of exer- 
cises, highly creditable to the institution, and was most graciously 
enjoyed by the Archbishop. 

In the evening, the Students of Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, its 
honored President and Faculty, dined their distinguished guest, and 
presented the play of the "Hidden Gem," by Cardinal Wiseman. 
They were assisted by the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Men- 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 207 

delssohn Glee Club. The music was charming, and the acting 
creditable, and the evening will be long remembered, — first, on 
account of the illustrious man whose jubilee was being honored ; 
second, the grand entertainment in the Refectory and Exhibition 
Hall ; and third, the handsome manner in which the arrangements 
were carried out, especially in the illumination of the college. 

On Tuesday morning, a grand High Mass was sung in the 
Cathedral, preceded by a procession from the Archiepiscopal man- 
sion, there bein£^ in attendance hundreds of Catholic delegates 
from the various churches and societies of the diocese. The Arch- 
bishop pontificated, and the services closed with the singing of 
the Te Deum. The procession returned between the open ranks 
of the delegates, each one of whom wore a pretty badge. 

After the congregation had been dismissed, the delegates were 
called back into the church, and Archbishop Purcell, assisted by 
Archbishops Wood and Henni, distributed steel engraving por- 
traits of himself, or, as he playfully called them, "duplicates of 
original sin," as souvenirs of the occasion. 

The banquet took place in the Grand Hotel. The assemblage 
gathered in the afternoon to partake of the elegant feast, was made 
up of three hundred and fifty Priests, eleven Bishops and three 
Archbishops. Addresses were delivered, first, by Bishop Rosecrans 
on behalf of the Archbishops and Bishops present, by Dr. Pabisch, 
who occupied the chair on behalf of the clergy of the diocese. 
The toasts then followed, and, after most eloquent responces to each 
and every one, the venerable Dominican, Father Young, whose 
uncle Bishop Fenwick, was the first bishop of Cincinnati, was 
unanimously called on. He obeyed promptly, and, from five to 
ten minutes, eloquently traced the rise and progress of this diocese. 
Language fails to convey an idea of his deep feeling, when referr- 
ing to the Archbishop. 



2o8 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

At half-past four, on motion of Bishop Rosecrans, the com- 
pany adjourned and set about preparing for the Jubilee Concert to 
be held at the Music Hall in the evening, which was worthy of 
the occasion. 

At half-past seven the Archbishop was recognized entering the 
building, and the great assemby rose and gave him a glorious greet- 
ing. It would be impossible to convey an idea of the manner in 
which the great hall was decked. Stretched across the street was 
an inscription in German, testifying to the virtues of the great Arch- 
bishop, and in front at the entrance hung a device in letters of fire, 
bearing the words, — " 1826. J. B. Purcell. 1876 — Priest, Prelate, 
Patriarch — A triple welcome." 

Within, festoons of evergreen, interwined with flags of the national 
and pontifical colors, flags and banners of societies in crimson and 
scarlet and blue, in purple and green and violet, lent additional splen- 
dor to the scene. 

There were nearly four hundred and fifty voices, and above 
the choristers was printed in large letters the motto, " Mallow and 
Emmettsburg and Paris and Cincinnati. We weave to-day a crown 
of honor." 

At the conclusion of the chorus, "The Lord is Great," the 
music ceased for a time. The venerable Archbishop, accompanied 
by all his episcopal visitors, was conducted to the platform. A chair 
and canopy literally buried in flowers, had been prepared for him, 
a floral cross on one side and shepherd's crook on the other. An 
address was read by Mr. J. P. Carberg, which was received with 
great applause. The Archbishop, almost overcome with the deep 
emotions, which the occasion, the scene, and the address, so rich 
in eloquence and pathos, elicited, arose from his flower throne and 
said: "We read in the history of Pagan Rome, of a peculiar and 
striking custom observed in the triumphant returns of its generals. 




MOST REV J. B. PURCELL. 1876, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



209 



When the victor made his joyful entry into Rome, preceded by 
the spoils that his valor had won, and dragging at the wheels of 
his triumphant chariot the representatives of the conquered nations, 
there sat by his side a slave, whose office it was to whisper into 
his ears, as they drank in the applauding voices of the multitude, 
that there was a higher honor to which he should aspire. I might 
improve upon that ancient and wise custom to-night, by reminding 
myself and all who hear me, that, while receiving earthly honor, 
we must never forget that we were created for something nobler 
than earthly praise ; we were made to be christians, saints, citizens 
of heaven. I confess for myself, with sincere heart and truthful 
lips, in the presence of this vast multitude, that I deserve none 
of the praise that you have so kindly and so lavishly offered me. 
It is not only beyond my deserts, but, as I have said several 
times during these rejoicings of my faithful devoted flock, — I can 
lay no claim to any of it. From the depths of my soul I say, 
that, if in the course of these fifty years of my priesthood there 
be found any good and fruitful labor, any work that endures, it 
is not mine, but belongs to Him who sent me. " Not to us, 
O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory." Associated 
with me in my episcopal life, in its labors and trials, and like- 
wise in its many great joys, bearing the burden and heat of the 
day, were the prelates and clergy by whom I am surrounded. 
God has favored and blessed me during my episcopacy, with many 
zealous, unwearying, noble, fellow-laborers, like the metropolitans 
of Philadelphia and Milwaukee. They and others have held up 
my hands in every struggle, and have given to me assistance, 
without which I could have accomplished little. I owe much to 
my reverend predecessor and to the venerable Father Dominic 
Young, who said the first Mass and built the first church in Cin- 
cinnati, and who still lives and rejoices in our midst over the 



2IO FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

rapid growth of the Catholic faith in this western land, "Paul 
plants and Apollo waters, but God has given the increase." I owe 
much more than I can ever express, to my flock, for their marked, 
unchanging fidelity and obedience ; and I express my gratitude to- 
night for the uniform kindness I have received from my Protestant 
fellow-citizens, during my long residence among them. To all, I 
offer in return, for kindness which I do not merit, but, which 
I can never forget, the deepest gratitude of my heart. 

There was a strong and loud demand for Archbishop Henni. 
In response to this call, he addresses the audience for some time 
in German, recalling incidents in the missionary life of Archbishop 
Purcell, and closing it with a prayer that he might live many 
years to rule the glorious diocese which had risen through his 
wonderful labors, from the most humble foundation. 

Then came the grand finale of the Jubilee, the crowning piece 
of the concert. From choir and audience, from four thousand 
souls, thrilled with gratitude to the Giver of all gifts, like a rushing 
flood, in waves of music that seemed to shake the walls of the 
building, came that incomparable hymn of thanksgiving, the Te Deum. 

Nothing less than the magnificent music of this hymn could 
have expressed the swelling emotions of the multitude, as the 
curtain fell upon scenes of joy, that are now, it is true, with the 
past, but will live in the memory of millions. The Golden Jubi- 
lee of the Archbishop of Cincinnati was a new and bright epoch 
in the history of the Catholic American Church, 

Among the gifts, rich and costly, sent to the Archbishop on 
this memorable day, is mentioned a mitre, described as " exquisitely 
embroidered and adorned with various precious stones." The widely 
known and highly cultivated Ursuline Nuns of Brown County sent 
this gift, incomparable in its workmanship. The front is most 
elaborately covered with fish scales, grouped together in beautiful 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 2 1 I 

designs of roses and rose leaves, and forming a setting for rare 
gems. No school in the country could surpass this work in de- 
sign and finish. Among other rich gifts it gleams with unrivaled 
beauty. The pupils also sent a table set of five pieces of silver, 
elegantly and appropriately inscribed. 

Thus are narrated a few of the most important features of 
this magnificent celebration of a remarkable epoch in the life of 
this untiring devoted father of his flock. As the servant is not 
greater than his Master, so this humble, loving servant must needs 
follow the Master in all things. After consummation the work 
that was given him to do, this great triumph coming towards the 
close of his active life, brings to our mind another scene, another 
triumph, when the Divine Master was borne amid the waving 
palms and hosannas of the crowd, through the streets of his chosen 
city. Thus, and in another way, shall he be made to prove that 
the Christ crucified whom he preached, is in all things to him 
a model, and the pattern of his episcopal life. 

The Commencement of this year was held on the thirteenth 
of June ; the unusually early closing is owing to our country's 
celebration of the Centennial year of independence. But one 
graduate claimed the honors of the class, Miss Katherine Fearons, 
of Newport, Ky. • 

In the fall of this year, a novice, Sister Mary Austin, shows 
unmistakable symptoms of consumption. Nearing the term of her 
probation as a novice, she was allowed the inexpressible happiness 
of pronouncing her vows a few weeks before her death. The 
circumstances of this holy consecration of a devout soul will never 
be forgotten by those who witnessed it. No rich robed dignitary 
of God's church received the sacred pledge, no flower decked 
altar, no swelling tones or solemn chant of ritual, or clouds of 
floating incense were there to lend solemnity to the scene. But 



212 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

angel witnesses, and angel messengers record on high the vows 
that were solemnly sworn amid the poor furnishings of an Ursuline 
cell, in the presence of her kneeling sisters. At the request of 
the dying sister, their voices joined in singing the '^Laudate^' and 
the beautiful Communion hymn, "I am my Love's and He is 
mine," while her rapt soul was raised for the moment from its 
prison of suffering, to a taste of the ecstatic bliss that was so 
soon to be her portion forever. She lingered until the month of 
January, 1877, a model, in her short religious life, of patient 
suffering. 

The May of 1877 witnessed the joyful profession of Sister 
Agatha Reynolds, Sister Pazzi McMaston, Sister Helena Hines 
and Sister Bernard Roberg. The Most Reverend Archbishop 
officiated, whilst Reverend Dr. Callaghan preached a most eloquent 
sermon. 

At the Commencement exercises, "the essay of the graduate, 
Miss Lou Reitz, of Evansville, Indiana, on Art Culture, harmo- 
nized in its literary excellence with the other exercises so fault- 
lessly performed." 

The tri-ennial elections held this year, towards the close of 
July, resulted in the re-election of Mother Theresa Sherlock, Supe- 
rior; Mother Ursula Dodds, Assistant; whilst the offices of Zelatrice 
and Directress of Studies were given to Sister M. Baptista Freaner, 
and that of Treasurer, to Sister M. Dionysia Borgess. 

The mission of the parish school at London being still con- 
tinued, and great good resulting therefrom, it had been found 
necessary to receive many new subjects ; hence we find in the 
year 1878, eight candidates for the black veil. The first holy 
profession took place February 7th, 1878, and it will long be 
remembered by those present, from the fact, that during the 
ceremony, notice was brought by telegram to the Archbishop, of 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 213 

the death of our Holy Father, Pius IX. The professed on this 
occasion were Sister Mary Joseph Barrett, Sister Clemintine Dona- 
hue, Sister Mary James Ahren, Sister Benedict Granger, and Sister 
Anastasia Cosgrave. 

The sudden death of Sister St. Charles Rosecrans, eldest 
daughter of General W. S. Rosecrans, March 2nd, 1878, was most 
deeply deplored by the entire cummunity. Her health had been 
declining for more than a year, and consumption had marked 
her for the grave, but she was still active, and on the day of 
her death, had joined in the usual recreation after dinner. When 
retiring to her cell, she was seized with violent hemorrhage of the 
lungs, and, in a few moments, her delicate frame, unable to bear 
the shock, gave way, and freed her pure soul from its prison of clay. 
In her, death indeed loved a shining mark, eminently qualified, 
as she was, in talents and virtues, to use these best gifts in God's 
service. 

Sister Madeleine Rigal consecrated herself irrevocably to God 
July 25th, 1878, and the month of May, the fourteenth, brought 
the same happiness to Sister Mary Baptist O'Connor, Sister M. 
Evangelista O'Connor and Sister Antoinette Hemann, During the 
ceremony, at which the Most Reverend Archbishop officiated, a 
sudden attack of weakness overcame His Grace, who had only 
sufficient strength to finish the offering of the Holy Sacrifice, leaving 
the ceremony of conferring the black veil to be concluded by 
Reverend Father Cheymoi. 

Although still in vigorous health for one of his advanced years, 
this weakness of old age began to force itself upon the unwilling 
notice of the ever anxious friends of our venerable father. This 
added to the ever present sorrow of Mother Julia's increased suffer- 
ing, for during the summer, an attack of heart trouble came on, 
from which she never wholly recovered. Death after death of old 



214 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

friends was announced to her, and it soon became evident that 
the earthly days of this loved Mother were also numbered. 
Among those who visited her in her last illness, was Bishop 
Rosecrans. Their conversation naturally turned upon the mutual 
loss of old friends and acquaintances lately sustained, Notre Mere, 
remarking in how little time she would rejoin them in the eternal 
home. *' Yes, Notre Mere, that is too true, but," said he in his 
usual jocular way, " I shall be there too, to open the door for 
your There he stood apparently in the enjoyment of health, his 
mind occupied with perfecting the details for the consecration of his 
magnificent Cathedral so soon to take place, and yet, seeming to 
feel the constant presence of death before him. When about 
leaving, Notre Mere received his benediction for the last time, 
begging him not to forget her in his prayers after her death. 
'•I would pray for you," he replied, '* but, Notre Mere, I am 
going before you." With the little strength left her, she essayed 
to rally him out of what she considered a fit of depression, but 
he persistently kept to the point, and left her, saying laughingly, 
"Well, I will take a morning train, you will follow in the evening!" 
The sad thrilling circumstance of the death of this zealous 
Bishop will interest many of our readers, who associate him with 
the happy hours of school life in Brown County. He had been 
laboring during the ten years of his episcopate, to build a Cathe- 
dral that might be worthy of what he believed to be the future 
rank and wealth of his new diocese. In the words of the beauti- 
ful tribute to his memory, written by Father Callaghan : "Year 
after year he watched with anxious care that superb church rising 
in attractive beauty, until it was ready to lift up its gates and 
welcome the Lord of Hosts. The hour for the Lord to take pos- 
session came. Its sacred walls glisten with the oil of consecra- 
tion ; the marble ot the altar is stained with the precious blood 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 215 

of the Divine Victim. The work is completed, and the house of 
God is dehvered to the keeping of the angels, who kneel before 
that throne, which this toiling self-sacrificing Bishop has erected 
for the Creator. But, in the silence of the night, death descends 
to call the faithful workman, the tireless builder, the zealous shep- 
herd home, to give him in exchange for his gift, a home in that 
temple not made with hands, the eternal dwelling place of God. 
His soul, the soul of a true convert, of an edifying priest, of a 
great intellectual churchman, of a pious, humble, charitable Bishop, 
has been called to the eternal joys of the House of God. He 
was generous to God ; God has given him back immediately a 
hundred fold and life ever-lasting." 

On October 20th, this solemn consecration of the Cathedral 
took place. For days before there were distressing symptons of 
illness, but he did not heed them. Torn with pain and racked 
wnth sickness, he bore the exhaustive labors of consecration, but 
was seized with hemorrhage of the stomach as he was about to 
enter the Cathedral for the Vesper services. Forced to return to 
his apartments, he walked from the Cathedral he so dearly loved, 
to his death-bed. Other hemorrhages follow^ed, until Tuesday eve- 
ning, when his attending ph3'sician is forced to tell him that death is 
at hand. The last moments of the noble Christian Bishop have 
come, and when told b}^ his physician that death is near, he answers 
with a calm humble trust in the Master he had served so well, 
" I am ready." The soul is strengthened with the flesh and blood 
of the God he offered, da}^ after day, during six and twenty 3^ears 
with hands that never dishonored their anointing. The power- 
ful mind remains unclouded to the last, and his last act is a bene- 
diction upon his bereaved sorrowing diocese. The lips that had 
kept undefiled the knowledge allied with immortality, whisper with 
a child's faith and love, the names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, 



2l6 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

and his soul goes out of the darkness of death to that land which 
is forever lighted with the unveiled knowledge and the burning 
love of God. May the soul of this pious, learned, humble Bishop 
ever rest in the peace and joy of God ! " 

The feast of St. Ursula wore not its customary joy and 
gladness, for to all came the sad consciousness that a beloved 
friend had been lost to the community, a friend that had been 
identified with its growth and progress, whose generous heart was 
ever responsive to the claims of friendship, and ever open to aid 
in its hour of spiritual need. The beautiful and practical exer- 
cises of the Retreat, which he had so often preached to the pupils, 
have borne richest fruit in many souls, sown in youth's spring 
time, with the fertile germs of his learning and sanctity. His loss 
to the church was universally deplored. Father Purcell writes 
thus to a friend at the Convent : " The telegram which came 
last night of the death of Bishop Rosecrans, filled us with horror. 
As Father Weninger said to me this morning, it has no parallel 
in church histor}^ " We go by triplets " the Bishop said a few 
days before his death, and sure enough. Father Christ}^, Father 
Hemsteger and himself filled the number ! People are saying to 
one another, *'What does it mean?" God rest his soul, I have 
been thrown intimately with him for many years, and he was 
as pure and saintly a man as I ever knew. As a friend of his 
said to-day, " He was a big boy, and had a boy's ways, and the 
simplicity of a boy." All day I find my mind in confusion, 
owing to the strange calamity." 

The genial fun-loving friend, the saintly Bishop, the learned 
doctor, had kept his prediction to our dear Notre Mere — he had 
entered into the Eternal Presence of God before her. Daily it 
becomes more painfully evident that our dear Mother will not be 
long in following him to the enjoyment of that Divine Presence. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



217 



Each day her strength failed, and brought nearer and nearer 
the freedom for which her soul fainted and longed, the freedom 
of the courts of the Lord. There was but little preparation to 
make for this going forth of her nobly tried and purified soul ; 
long days and nights of ceaseless suffering had crowned it with 
the matchless patience that hath a perfect work, and, in that 
serene patience, it calmly awaited the divine summons to go forth 
and be crowned. The good fight was fought, she had kept the faith, 
and now she is called to the incorruptible crown of glory laid up 
for her in the kingdom of God's saints. Surrounded all day of 
November ist by her loving children, the eternal kingdom of All 
the Saints seemed each moment to open wider its gates, that this 
tried member of its militant hosts might be admitted to the ever- 
lasting repose of its glory. The sti*uggle was ended, the guerdon 
won, as the early morning of November 2nd, All Souls broke 
upon the watching, tearful sisterhood, and, as the Convent bell 
pealed forth its summons to the dawning day, the strong and 
noble soul of Mother Julia Chatfield was numbered among the 
souls of all the faithful departed, for whom the universal church was 
at that supreme moment imploring the Mercy of a Merciful Lord. 
The details of the simple obsequies are few to relate. The 
loved remains, shrouded in the familiar habit with the crucifix on 
her heart, and the vows on parchment clasped in the cold fingers 
that had written them in the days of youthful fervor, were laid 
in the community room, and surrounded by her bereaved children, 
until removed to the chapel for the Requiem Mass. Reverend 
Father Callaghan left the city by an early train, intending to 
officiate at the funeral and preach, but, by some accident, he did not 
arrive at the appointed time. The touching obituary which appeared 
in the Telegraph from his pen, embodies all the beautiful thoughts 
which he would, on this occasion have enriched by his eloquence. 



2l8 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

"Death of Mother Juha Chatfield, foundress of St. Martin's 
Convent, Brown County, O." 

An Enghsh Lady by birth, — a convert to the faith, by the 
grace of God, — a daughter of St. Ursula, by her rehgious pro- 
fession, — the foundress of a Convent and academy famed far and 
wide for the piety and educational ability of its Sisterhood, whom 
this great Nun trained for their high and holy vocation — a Supe- 
rioress for thirty years, always fulfilling the command of the 
Divine Master to His Apostles, by being the least among her 
sisters and the servant of all, Mother Julia Chatfield, whose name 
is spoken by thousands with a tender veneration, which her great 
virtue never failed to inspire, was of the saints of earth. She 
is now numbered with the saints of heaven. In this broad land, 
the virgins of the sanctuary, now counted by thousands, are the 
pride and joy, of the Catholic Church. By their angelic purity, 
by their ceaseless charity, by their prayers that burn with the 
deepest love of God, these cloistered hidden souls make our faith 
divinely beautiful to men who turn a deaf ear to the word of 
God. As Holy Writ sa3^s, in the words that are applied to them, 
who, in heaven follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, singing 
the new song of Virginity, God has clothed them not only with 
beauty, but strength — the strength to overcome and soften, hard, 
unbelieving minds, and make them see that the faith, of which 
their virginal, self-denying, heroic life is born and nourished, can be 
nothing else than the full, revealed truth of God. Among these 
chosen souls, whom God can make by the gift of His graces, so 
beautiful and strong, having all the traits of the "valiant woman," 
there could be none more dear to God than the venerable and 
venerated Superioress of the Ursulines of St. Martins, whom God 
called to her great reward on the Feast of All Souls. It would 
be no excessive praise to apply to her, who wore with honor, 




MOTHER JULIA CHATFIELD. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 219 

the religious habit for forty-two years, the words of the office of 
a spouse of Christ: '•'' Multae filice congregavenint divitias ; tu super- 
gressa es universasf' " many daughters have gathered riches, but 
thou hast surpassed them all." The holiness of her life, and the 
great work which her rare virtues performed, can not be told in 
words. It is written in more enduring characters in the inex- 
haustible labors, the patient toil of thirty years ; it is inscribed 
forever in the walls of the Convent, that will perpetuate her praise 
from year to year, in the warm attachment of the family of God, 
who knew her only by the title of Notre Mere ; in the perfect 
discipline, and the interior spirit which her example breathed into her 
sorrow-stricken community ; in that strange power which she exer- 
cised, so marked, so clearly defined in the Convent of St. Martin, 
of assimilating to herself every fresh accession, and of winning, 
through the virgin family she trained, the hearts of the thousands 
of pupils, who bless to-day her sacred memory. The spirit of God 
was largely given to her, and the successful work of her life was 
to impart the same spirit generously to her spiritual children. 

Thirty years ago this good and great Nun left the Convent of 
the Ursulines at Boulogne-sur-mer, at the invitation of the Arch- 
bishop of Cincinnati, to build a fair, rich tabernacle of God in a 
western wilderness. She was called to a hard and difficult under- 
taking. But little of worldly assistance could be oflfered to her^ 
for the then young Bishop of Cincinnati had no wealth to keep 
pace with his zeal. He was the poorest of the poor. But this 
faithful Nun was filled with the spirit of her vocation ; she knew 
that they who were poor for Christ's sake, would be made rich. 
Like St. Theresa, she, and he who invited her to this new field 
where the harvest has been so golden, so precious, while they 
confessed themselves nothing, knew that God and a little human 
help working with them were every-thing. The past now tells 






220 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

US how abundantly her trust in God has been rewarded. The 
log cabin where she built her first cells for her community, has 
long since disappeared. In its place has risen the large, spacious, 
beautiful Convent and Academy of St. Martin's ; the wilderness 
has literally blossomed and bloomed into a garden of roses, which 
has filled hundreds of Christian homes with the sweet, fragrant 
odor of Christian piety and knowledge. She, and nearly all who 
shared in her struggles with poverty, and in her joy of being 
made like Him who was poor for the sake of His brethren, have 
fallen asleep. But, before that eternal rest came, God built for 
Himself through her more grandly and successfully than this humble 
religious had ever dreamed of. It was God's work ; she was His 
well chosen instrument, and the work was accomplished. Thirty 
years of the precious, holy, laborious life of Mother Julia were given 
to the training of her admirable sisterhood, and the education of 
thousands who bless the day they crossed the threshold of St. Mar- 
tin's. Thirty years in the full maturity- of her wisdom and of her 
spiritual strength was the offering that was laid at the feet of Jesus 
Christ in the silence of that wilderness. What tongue shall even 
stammeringly tell the good that others have reaped from that offer- 
ing ? Who will measure the knowledge of God imparted, the love of 
virtue kindled, the sorrows that were soothed, the blessings that have 
streamed from that fountain of piety over a young and tender gen- 
eration, entrusted by parents, to this wise and prudent virgin. 
God's day alone will reveal all this. We shall hope to see it in 
the fulness of His light. 

It is a sufficient indication of the merits of Mother Julia to 
say that she was perfect in the observance of her rule and the spirit 
of her institute. The greatest self-denial of religious life is rigid 
and persevering adherence to the rule of conventual life in all its 
details. From this springs the wonderful unity of religious life. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



221 



It is thus that the actions, and habits, and wishes, the words and 
works of all are cast in one divine mould. It is the source of 
that beautiful charity, stronger than any natural love, which binds 
a holy sisterhood together, and which was so deeply impressed by 
the guidance and example of Mother Julia upon her community. 
It has given them a mighty and beneficient power in attracting to 
their Convent the hearts of their pupils. Long years after they 
have left the peace and sunshine of St. Martin's, the pupils never 
fail to speak of their Convent home with the fervor of undiminished 
affection. 

In Mother Julia, from out the routine and severe simplicity of 
the common, exact religious life, there shown forth a rare intelli- 
gence, an intensity of charity, a heavenly form of wisdom, which 
marks those called to be rulers as well as models of their sister- 
hood. 

What shall we say of the outward external proof of the holi- 
ness of her life, namely her zeal for the welfare of others ? In 
the beautiful institute which she entered in the days of her young 
womanhood, she found the means of saving souls, of promoting God's 
glory. Though her life was filled with physical suffering, though she 
was tortured with pain for years, she never flagged or gave herself the 
slightest release from the work of doing good to others. The vow 
which she registered to instruct others in the ways of wisdom was 
most faithfully fulfilled. On the white unwritten page of the souls 
of the pupils of St. Martin's, she traced deeply the lessons of 
eternal truth by the veneration, which her virtue elicited. Their 
course through life, while it shows that the seed of knowledge did not 
dry up, and wither in their hearts, at the same time tells how perfectly 
Mother Julia fulfilled her blessed vocation. To have had such an 
instmctress, was a special benediction. How many of them have felt 
this ? Many a time in the hour of seductive or fierce temptation has 



222 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

• ■«• 

the former pupil of St. Martin's seen rising before her in fancy's vision, 
the holy Nun who was her mistress in the convent, and the meek 
reproach or solemn warning which that vision brought, was a saving 
grace. It was she whose memory threw over all the pupils a net- 
work of affection, which seemed to cover and keep them together, 
no matter how much they might be separated by distance. 

No one charged with the government of others ever possessed 
greater power in discerning dispositions and moulding characters. 
She was a wise Virgin, and of the number of the prudent. She 
found out natural inclinations, and, by her fostering care, they were 
developed into virtue. She could gently lay hold of every principle 
of goodness in the young pupil's or novice's soul, and give to it, by 
her words and example, the strength of endurance. 

But the full value of the life of Mother Julia, its sustained con- 
sistency, the beauty of holiness that was within, God alone knew, 
and she wished that God alone should know it. God gave to her 
four years of suffering before merciful death came, that the patience 
of a martyr might complete the work of His grace in her soul. 
During that slow, often agonizing approach to the grave, no murmur 
ever escaped her lips, no shadow of complaint ever crossed the 
face of this wise virgin, '*whom the Lord found watching for His 
coming." Over forty years ago the minister of God said to her 
on the threshold of the sanctuary in the beautiful ritual of the 
profession of an Ursuline, " Come, Spouse of Christ, come, thou 
shalt be crowned." The crown, to which she was called, which 
she seized with more eagerness and love than any Queen ever 
sought earthly diadem, was the crown of self-denial, a crown of 
sacrifice. Into that white, pure crown God wove the red of His 
Passion. Unstained, she wore it for more than forty years. She 
was thus prepared for the coming of the Heavenly Bridegroom, 
on the day of the week sacred to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 




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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 223 

the patronal feast of the rehgioiis community to which she 
belonged. Under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
she placed the Convent she built, and the pious community 
gathered within its walls. On the day, the whole church of God 
was breathing forth its prayers for the souls of the faithful departed, 
God lovingly called her to Himself. Again she heard the words 
of consolation spoken by the Master Himself : " Come, Spouse of 
Christ, come, thou shalt be crowned ; receive the crown of eternal 
joy, the reward of a life of continuous sacrifice." On the feast of 
St. Charles Borromeo, one of the special, saintly patrons of the 
Ursuline Order, her mourning sisters laid to rest the body that had 
enshrined as pure, as noble a soul as ever was consecrated to God's 
service by the hand of religion. Her portion is surely life ever- 
lasting. 

Born in the city of London, September i8th, 1809, Mother 
Julia was the eldest of seven sisters, children of the marriage of 
Charles Chatfield, Esq., and Helen Vennor. The Chatfield's were 
a distinguished English family, the grandfather having served as 
secretary to Warren Hastings, in India, and his son Charles was 
born there. Ambitious that the education of his daughters should 
be superior in every respect, he sent them, after having provided 
them with the best private tutors at home, to the Convent of Bou- 
logne-sur-mer, to perfect their knowledge of the French language. 
These seven bright, intelligent and interesting English girls soon 
won the admiration and love of the nuns and pupils, but to none of 
them was this tribute so freely accorded as to Julia. The eldest of 
the youthful band whose ages ranked between nineteen and seven, 
Laura, Matilda, Ellen, Henrietta, Georgiana and Rosina, they 
naturally relied on her tact and judgment to supply the wise guid- 
ance of the good parents they had left. Reared, as they had all 
been, in the strict observance of the forms of the English Church, 



1. 



224 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

and to a firm faith in such doctrinal teachings of Christ as she had 
retained, the natural piety of Julia was quick to lay hold of the 
truth and beauty of the Catholic religion, for the first time presented 
to her young opening intellect. Indeed, it may be a question, as 
to whether her pure heart and soul, washed by the purifying waters 
of baptism in the English church, had not always belonged to the 
soul of the visible body which we so commonly consider as the 
whole church. She often said in after years, that even as a 
child, when admitted to receive the Lord's supper in the Anglican 
church, she firmly believed in the Real Presence of our Lord in 
the sacrament, and that she received it as the Body and Blood of 
Christ, whilst her sister, Laura, who knelt at the chancel rail, to 
receive at the same time, was as firmly convinced that she partook 
of a symbol only. 

She was therefore, not long in settling all doubts, and accept- 
ing the teachings of an Infalliable Church. In the first years of 
their stay at Boulogne, the youngest of the little flock, Rosina, was 
taken suddenly ill, and before her death, her sister Julia, insisted 
that she should be baptized in the Catholic church. Doubtless 
through the intercession of this innocent soul was obtained for her 
the grace and strength that she will so soon require to follow the 
Divine call which is fast making itself distinctly heard in her heart, 
**Come, and follow Me." 

As the rules of the academy forbade absolutely that any pupil 
should be received into the church without the consent of her par- 
ents, Julia wrote to her father, informing him of her belief in the 
doctrines of the Catholic church, and of her conviction that in it 
alone could she work out the salvation of her immortal soul. 
Whilst this letter was on the way to England, Mr. Chatfield 
was crossing the channel towards Boulogne, to visit his daugh- 
ters, and as a consequence knew nothing of its import. Whilst 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



22' 



taking his children for a walk through the city, Julia un- 
able to account for his silence on the subject so near to her 
heart, and to restrain any longer her anxious feelings, ventured 
to ask: "Well, papa, what did you think of my letter?" "What 
letter, my child ?" In a few words, she then told him of what 
she had written, her desire to be received into the church which 
alone spoke truth to her inquiring soul, and in the conversation 
which followed, the horror-stricken father saw not only desire, 
but determination to carry this desire into act. In after years she 
would often speak of the blanched face and almost reeling steps 
which her announcement caused her poor father in the streets of 
Boulogne, and how, with intense indignation, she and her sisters 
were taken away from the Convent at once. He could only believe 
that Julia, away from the insinuating influence of the religious, 
would forget what he deemed a passing religious fervor, and join- 
ing in the gay world into which he would throw her, give up the 
desire for which she now seemed so eager. But it was not so, and 
in a very short time she again appealed to him for his consent 
to her wish. Enraged at her persistent demand, and reading 
determination in every line of her noble countenance, he disowned 
her as his daughter, and bade her leave his home. But the 
tenderness of the father still lived in his heart, notwithstanding 
his anger, and he had made a private arrangement with a friend, 
a Colonel West of the British Army, that he would for a time 
receive her into his family as a governess. 

The following Sunday the family carriage was placed at Miss 
Chatfield's service, with the polite inference that she was expected 
to represent the family in their pew at church. She accepted the 
use of the carriage, mentally resolving, however, that she would 
not again be placed in the same circumstances. Convinced of a 
divine call, not only to the church, but to the religious life, she 



226 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

determined to seek the shelter of her old home, the Convent of 
Boulogne. Seated in the carriage, she ordered the coachman to 
leave her at a certain point. Fearing she had not sufficient money 
to pay her passage to Boulogne, she stepped into a pawnbroker's 
shop and sold the tortoise shell combs she wore in her hair, and 
some jewelry, to procure the necessary means. In a short time, 
leaving the city of London, she was quickly speeding across the 
English channel to her longed-for port. Hastening to the Convent 
she threw herself at the feet of good Mother Ursula, and with 
tears begged her to receive her as her child, now that her father 
and mother had disowned her. Tenderly the good religious essayed 
to dry her tears, while assuring the grief-stricken girl that she 
would indeed be to her a mother. From motives of prudence, the 
Mother Superior wrote to Mr. Chatfield to intercede with him for 
his daughter, but her appeal was unheeded. He declared in formal 
terms, that he no longer looked upon her as his daughter, and 
she could do as she wished without consulting him. The news 
caused such excitement in the city of Boulogne that the British 
Consul urged, it is supposed, indirectly by the father through some 
friends, took cognizance of the case, and sent to the Convent to 
have the matter investigated, with instructions to the effect that if 
there appeared any compulsion on the part of the religious, to use 
the law in rescuing the young lady from the hands of her captors. 
But the young lady had prudently retired to a small farm-house 
near the town, until the excitement should subside, and after a few 
days of waiting she returned to the Convent to prepare herself for 
the great happiness of her life. She was soon sufficiently instructed 
to receive baptism from the hands of Father Rappe, who also 
became her godfather. Nor was she long in seeking admission as 
postulant into the community, and after a fervent novitiate of two 
years she had the happiness of pronouncing her sacred vows, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



227 



August 17, 1837. She had the grief of losing the dear father to 
whom she was much devoted, a few years after coming to the 
mission of St. Martin's, but she was vouchsafed the consolation of 
seeing one sister follow her into the church a short time after her 
own reception. Her mother died in 1862, having long before 
become reconciled to her daughter's life. She had been visited at 
her home in London, by both Father Macheboeuf and Father 
Cheymol, and had received them with every mark of attention and 
consideration. Three sisters survive Mother Julia. 

It may seem a strange coincidence that on November 3, 1878, 
the day following Mother Julia's saintly death another member of 
the Brown County community was called to her eternal reward. 
Mother Angela Demota had returned to her Convent of Beaulieu 
in 1876, after thirty years of hard service in the mission of Brown 
County. She was heartily welcomed by her old community and 
the members of her family, who were rejoiced to see her again on 
her native soil, but at her advanced age she did not long survive 
the change, and after several attacks of paralysis, she slept in our 
Lord, November 3, 1878. 

The Commencement Exercises held June 26th, were finely 
written up by a friend, and the three graduates of the year, Miss 
Mary Joyce, of Columbus, Miss Mary Huette, of Louisville, and 
Miss Blanche Kenney, of Paris, Ky., received well merited praise. 

Among the improvements of this year, the building of the 
conservatory is the most notable, as an ornament to the grounds and 
for its usefulness in supplying the altars with fresh flowers. 

The death of Father N. Dommic Young, which occurred on 
November 27th, 1878, in Washington, D. C, may be appropriately 
mentioned here, as this fervent missionary was prominently con- 
nected with the early history of Catholicity in Brown County. 
He was born on the banks of the Piscataway River, Prince 



228 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

George's County, Maryland, June ii, 1793. His grandfather was 
an English Judge, but on becoming a Roman Catholic he was 
deposed. He bought a tract of land where now stands the better 
part of the city of Washington, and Father Young afterwards 
built the beautiful church of St. Dominic on the very spot where 
stood his grandfather's barn. He saw all the public men from 
Washington down. He recalled Jefferson, Madison, Munroe riding 
through the race track in Washington, and Henry Clay, Calhoun 
and some of the first men of the day were frequent guests at his 
father's table. His uncle, Bishop Fenwick, was one of the four sent 
to the West to found the Dominican Order. Being a man of 
wealth, Father (afterwards Bishop) Fenwick, purchased what is now 
the parent house of the Order, St. Rose's, Springfield, Ky. Sent 
there to school in 1805, Father Young entered the Order in 1808 
with Samuel Montgomery, Montgomery Miles (afterwards Bishop 
of Nashville), and Willett, all prominent figures in the history of 
Catholicity in the West. He was ordained in 181 7 and sent into 
Ohio in 1818 with his uncle, Bishop Fenwick. Here they bought a 
farm in Perry County and established St. Joseph's. He used fre- 
quently to boast that he had ridden fifty thousand miles on horse- 
back during his missionary work of sixty years. At his death he 
was the oldest priest in the world, except one in South America. 
We have come to a period in our history which we approach 
with feelings of reluctance, for clouds of sorrow darker than those 
which hung in the peaceful atmosphere of St. Martin's in the chill 
November month, when Mother Julia passed away, are gathering 
with the closing year round the beloved father, who for so long has 
been its light, its sunshine, its protection and encouragement. 
Bowed with the weight of nearly four score years, burdened with 
almost fift}^ years of episcopal cares and responsible duties, the old 
age that should have been honored with the grateful love and 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



229 



tender care of three generations that had grown with its growth, 
was to be broken on the wheel, and the noble soul racked with 
the torture of every pain that could assail its dignity. The facts of 
the financial embarrassment and failure of Archbishop Purcell and 
his brother, are too well known and too recent to need repetition. 
We turn rather to the more pleasing thought, that to us was given 
the inestimable privilege of cheering the last dark hours of these 
noble brothers, of standing near while the shadows of Calvary fell 
round them, and they were gathered from the darkness into the 
light of endless day. 

After the official statement of the debt had been published early 
in 1879, and the assignment made by Very Reverend E. Purcell, he 
was advised by the few friends, who realized the difficulties and 
dangers of his position, to leave the Cathedral and seek the retire- 
ment and seclusion of St. Martin's, until such time as would be 
advisable for his return. It was the one spot on earth to which the 
two brothers might most naturally turn, as bearing the sacred rela- 
tionship of home, for it held all that was left to them of their saintly 
mother, and before many weeks another member of the Purcell 
family would rest in the little graveyard. To this home, therefore. 
Father Purcell came about the middle of February, leaving it but 
once or twice when legal business required his presence in 
Cincinnati. 

In the meantime, the Most Reverend Archbishop had sent a 
letter to the Propaganda, resigning his see, petitioning the Holy 
Father to relieve him of an office of which he now felt incapable. 
As Rome does all things in order and slowly, it was many months 
before his anxious mind was relieved of its heavy burden. He says 
in the beautifully letter published in the Telegraph March 20, 1879, 
an ever standing memorial of his honesty, his charity, his nobility of 
soul : " Of the forty-five years of my episcopacy, this is the darkest. 



230 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

most painful, most sorrowful hour. When the storm broke upon me, 
I would have sunk into the grave had I not been strengthened by 
the remembrance of my duties as a Bishop of God's church, and 
had I not been sustained by the generous sympathy which thou- 
sands. Catholics and Protestants alike, have shown me in my 
distress. The Catholic Bishops of the country have made me their 
debtor forever by their offer of assistance. For this universal 
sympathy, unexpected and unmerited, I give all that I have — the 
last prayers of my old age and the last Masses of my long and 
priestly life." 

Deep and widespread as was the sympathy for the sorrowing 
Archbishop as well as for those who suffered by and through him, 
the thoughts of those who look into the divine ordering of all events 
with a spirit of faith, could only find expression in the words of 
Divine Wisdom itself, when it foretold to the apostles that the 
servant should be in all things like his Lord. This clothed in the 
beautiful garb of poetry was exquisitely expressed in a contribution 
to the Telegraph of February 27. 

RECROWNED. 

SONNET I. 

Not three years yet since thou wert crowned and blest, 

What time May blossoms sweetened all the air, 

Its breezes bore a nation's incense rare, 

Whose smoky wreaths thy silverj^ hair caressed. 

It was man's homage, his sincerest, best ; 

But only man's ; God gave His angels care 

To make a higher pageant there. 

Of old to Assuerus eager quest 
" He whom the king would honor," Hanian said, 
In regal robes, the King's own robe be clad, 
And put the King's own crown upon his head, 
Yes, clothed like thy King ! Thy robe the same. 
His cross to hold, His thorny crown to bear — 
Behold the coronation we proclaim ! 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



231 



SONNET II. 



Christ healed and blessed ; they stoned him in the Mart, 

" For which good deed is it, 3'e stone me now ?" 

The Master questioned, and so may'st thou ! 

"For temple built, or Mercy home apart — 

Or roof for houseless child — is raised the dart 

That coward lips in shame might disavow. 

But coward hands can aim against my brow ? 

For which good deed these falling stones ! " Great heart, 

Let them fall ; they built thy monument. 

Oh ! blinded eyes that cannot see in this 

To grandest life the grandest closing sent. 

The Triumph March has little time to wait ; 

King-like, Christ clad, oh ! robed and crowned ! pass on 

Through shining Arches to the Opened Gate. 

Convent of the Sacred Heart, Detroit, 
February 17, 1879. 

Of grief that rends the heart strings, there is none like unto that 
with which we follow to the grave a loved one whose veins have 
throbbed with the same blood that fills our own. This pain, too, 
was to be felt by the great hearted man, whose cup of sorrows 
seemed already full, when a telegram came to Father Purcell, 
announcing the death of their venerable sister, Miss Kate. Since 
the death of her mother, twenty years ago, she had made her 
home successively with Mrs. Corr, the Considines, old friends of 
the Archbishop, and finally with the Sisters of Charity at St. Peter's 
Asylum. Here she calmly and peacefully died, surrounded by every 
tender care and the sisterly love of these good religious. Only a 
few days of weakness and exhaustion rather than any defined 
illness preceded her death, and fortified by the devout reception of 
the last sacraments she closed a happy, peaceful life on earth, to 
be lengthened into that of eternity. The Archbishop visited her 
frequently during her illness, and sang the Mass of Requiem, 
whence he followed the loved remains to our home, to lay them 



232 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

beside those of his mother. When they reached the Convent, she 
lay for a few hours in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin, when 
Father Purcell took a last tender farewell. Soon the simple 
procession was on its way to the cemetery, followed by the mourn- 
ing brothers, who officiated at the grave. Miss Kate was born at 
Mallow in 1796, and had lived to the good old age of eighty- 
two. May her soul rest in peace ! 

Mother St. Peter Andral had preceded her just one month. 
This venerable mother's life is but a record of hard labor and 
generous self-sacrifice in God's service. To her careful manage- 
ment as econome of the primitive establishment of St. Martin's, is 
due much of its early financial success, whilst her labors in the 
mission of Opelausas to which she was sent in 1861, were no less 
blessed by Divine Providence. But she had come home to rest by 
the side of those with whom her fresh young days of labor were 
spent, and soon after dear Notre Mere's release her busy hands 
were stilled, and her kind smile was seen no more in our midst. 
She was born near Beaulieu in 1811, and had almost reached the 
allotted three score of man. 

In the midst of these dark days of sorrow, there comes a gleam 
of joy on February 26th, when the happy profession of Sister 
Margaret Mary Burke, Sister St. John Meyer and Sister Michael 
Kelly took place. Revered Father Cheymol, delegated by the Most 
Reverend Archbishop, to perform the ceremony, was assisted by 
Reverend Father Button. 

To the intense relief of the Most Reverend Archbishop a letter 
was received from Cardinal Simeoni, dated at Rome, March 6th, in 
which he gives him the joyful news that, "although the resignation 
of your episcopal office will not be granted by the Holy Father, His 
Holiness knowing exceedingly well with what zeal during a long 
space of years you have discharged the duties of that office, yet. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 233 

on account of alleged reasons, and in order to aflbrd some relief 
to your old age in the difficulties in which you are placed, the 
Holy Father has thought it proper that a coadjutor {cton futiira 
successione ct jure administrandi dioceshn)^ should be assigned you as 
soon as possible." 

It was ordered at the same time that the matter be treated of 
in a Provincial Synod, and that the names selected by the Bishops 
be presented to all the Metropolitans of the United States. 

In the meantime, through the summer and autumn of this year, 
energetic efforts were made by the men and women of Cincinnati, 
who formed different societies for collection and distribution of 
money, to aid our revered prelate in bearing the fearful burden 
bowing his aged frame even to the grave. 

Nor can we with justice omit the mention of the generous 
action of Cardinal McCloskey and the Bishops and Archbishops 
of the country, when assembled in New York, for the dedication 
of the great Cathedral, St. Patrick's, in May, 1879. "^^^ personal 
sympathy and interest of the Cardinal, expressed not only in a pri- 
vate letter to the Archbishop, but also in his beautiful address to the 
Clergy and Laity of the United States, delivered before the assembled 
prelates, soothed and comforted the wounded heart of this beloved 
brother Bishop more effectually than other sympathy could have 
done. A friend, A. E. Farrell, reporting to the Telegraph the events 
of the consecration, writes: "The warm big heart of New York 
has gone out to all the venerable prelates who came from the sunny 
South, the bustling West, the commercial East, to take part in 
the translation of the great church from man to God. Among the 
most venerable of all — the one whom the people who built it 
called for — as the procession moved round the walls, was he, who 
fifty years ago was President of Mt. St. Mary's College, when 
the Cardinal Archbishop of New York was a student under his 



234 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

authority — Archbishop Purcell. To see him with stole and cope, 
move along in the sunshine of this May day, no one would sup- 
pose' that he was the bearer of four score years and a priest for 
fifty-three years. High and low craned their necks to see dear 
Archbishop Purcell. They have seen him, and kind hearts have 
throbbed for him, and sweet words and prayers have been read 
for him in the throng of the thousands, who came as he did, to 
give glory to God and honor to St. Patrick." 

Among other means resorted to, to realize aid for the vener- 
able man, was that of a grand musical concert given in Mozart 
Hall by nineteen artists. A considerable amount was thus gained 
by these energetic workers, which fact helped to give impulse to 
another scheme undertaken by the Ladies' Aid Society, so ably pre- 
sided over by Mrs. T. D. Lincoln. This was the Grand Bazaar 
held during the last weeks of September and first of October. In 
this the convent took an active part, being represented by a booth, 
presided over by former pupils. Busy fingers contributed embroidery 
and fancy work of all kinds, but the chef dCoeuv7'e was the mag- 
nificent benediction veil, embroidered in chenille and gold. It 
was put up at contest between four reverend gentlemen, who con- 
sented to being voted for. Father Driscoll, of St. Xavier, receiving 
3,387 votes; Father Carey, 3,939; Father Doyle, 1,432; Father 
Quatman, 7,401. At twenty-five cents per vote this realized a total 
of $3,790.32, whilst besides this sum at the booth of the Ursuline 
Convent, we find by the official report published in the Telegraphy 
there was the neat sum of $1,000 to its credit. The entire net 
proceeds are given at $16,513.05, and it was a great satisfaction 
to find that heaven had so blessed the works of the community 
as to allow it the distinction of earning almost one-third of the net 
proceeds. To the generous eflforts of Mrs. T. D. Lincoln, in our 
behalf, we owe the possession of the fine oil-painting portrait of 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



235 



Archbishop Purcell, which adorns our house. Donated to her for 
her booth, Mrs. Lincoln raffled the picture, and by securing foi 
us four hundred out of one thousand chances, won not only for 
us a precious gift, but for herself a title to our undying gratitude. 

On the 23rd of November the Most Reverend Archbishop gave 
confirmation at Chillicothe, and on Monday, while passing the sta- 
tion at Midland City, the Reverend Doctor Callaghan, who attended 
him, advised him to come to St. Martin's for a period of rest. His 
engagements for confirmation are now over, and the severe mental 
and physical strain of the last year is beginning to show its effects 
on his enfeebling frame. He seems therefore contented to spend 
the days intervening between this and the next duty that calls him 
in the society of his beloved brother and Fathers Cheymol and 
Dutton. Usually he offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the 
chapel of the Blessed Virgin, as the steps leading to the chapel of 
the community were many and steep. 

On the 8th of December, His Grace received the vows of Sister 
Scholastica Waters, and although feeble, he preached on the occa- 
sion a very beautiful sermon, showing a wonderful connection of 
thought for one in his weakened condition. 

On December 13th, His Grace went to the city for the dedica- 
tion of the beautiful church of St. Francis de Sales, but as it was 
postponed on account of unfavorable weather, he returned the day 
following and remained during the winter. 

Thus closed the most eventful, the saddest year of a great and 
noble life, of a life whose unselfishness and ardent zeal for the 
good of souls will fill with sweetest strains of harmony and love 
the eternal life of the many thousands for whom he spent himself 
and was spent. 




CHAPTER VIII. 



1880— 1895. 




ARLY in January, whilst the greetings of the New 

Years' day were still fresh upon the lips of friends, a 

lovely soul, Sister Antonia Hemann, was called from the 

home she had chosen on earth, to begin the years of 

her eternity. The last sad months of her young life had been spent 

in battling with the unconquerable foe — pulmonary consumption. 

After having received the Holy Viaticum on Christmas Eve, as she 

lay with her eyes closed and a most heavenly expression on her 

pale beautiful countenance, the venerable Archbishop, who had 

known her from her childhood, appeared at the door, where he 

stood so deeply impressed with the heavenliness of the scene, that 

without advancing to the bedside, he broke forth into the words of 

the beautiful communion hymn : 

" In Jesus exulting I'll live 

And in Jesus triumphant I'll die, 
The sorrows of death I'll not fear, 

For with him I'll breath forth my last sigh." 
(236) 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 237 

The heart of the venerable man was soon to be solaced by 
the aid he had so earnestly besought from Rome, and at last comes 
the joyful, long expected news of the appointment of his coadjutor. 
The Telegraphy January 22nd, gives the first report as follows : 

'*A cable telegram to the New York Freeman's Journal 
announces that the eminent and beloved Bishop of Natchez has 
been appointed by the Holy See, Co-adjutor to the Archbishop of 
Cincinnati. We do not doubt that the news so joyful to the Arch- 
bishop, the clergy and laity of the diocese is true. When the official 
information arrives we shall give to our readers a history of the life 
of the great prelate." 

When Father Purcell broke the news of the appointment to 
his revered brother, he received it with humble gratitude, and in a 
very few moments made his way to the Divine Presence in the 
chapel. Kneeling on the altar step, his venerable form bowed 
almost prostrate, supported by one hand against the altar, instead 
of going to his prie-dieu as was his custom, he repeated slowly and 
reverently in an almost audible voice, some lengthened prayers. 
A sister present in the chapel, seeing him try to rise with great 
difficulty, went to assist his feeble steps, and while leaving the 
chapel, he tells her of the news he just received, and that he went 
to our Divine Lord's Presence to offer to Him the labors of his 
past life, to recite the Miserere for all the negligences and faults 
he might have committed in his long episcopate, and the Litany 
of the Blessed Virgin in thanksgiving for the assistance and protec- 
tion she had always graciously granted him ; adding, that it would 
have been a fitting conclusion to his life if God had mercifully 
vouchsafed to let him end it there on the altar steps. Not yet, O 
alter Christus ! Three years of suffering life still, to perfect in 
thee the image of the CiTicified, so that in His Kingdom, where 
the cross is His glory, thou may'st stand nearer to Him, and drink 
deeper draughts of the love that flows from His wounded heart. 



238 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN ^COUNTY CONVENT. 

At length the official news so eagerly waited for is received ; 
Cardinal Simeoni writes in a letter coming early in February, that 
the Right Reverend William H. Elder is appointed Co-adjutor 
and Administrator of the diocese of Cincinnati, with the right of 
succession. 

About two months later, the Right Reverend Bishop Elder 
received a request from the Sacred Congregation of the Propa- 
ganda, to go at once to Cincinnati where the Bulls of appoint- 
ment would be sent him, and enter upon his duties as Co-adjutor 
and Administrator. With characteristic promptness, he left his. city 
and his people, arriving in Cincinnati on the morning of Sunday 
April 1 8th. Reaching the city in time to preside at the High 
Mass, notwithstanding his fatiguing journey, he preached an appro- 
priate sermon, suggestive of the circumstances under which he 
spoke, taking for his theme the responsive obedience and interior 
life of the great Saint Joseph. 

On Wednesday the twenty-first, Bishop Elder, with Mr. J. 
Fitzpatrick of Natchez, one of the committee appointed by the 
Catholics of his late diocese to accompany their beloved Bishop 
to his new field of labor, paid his first visit to the Archbishop. 
The venerable man, with his devoted brother, and Fathers Chey- 
mol and Button, stood on the front porch of the priest's residence 
to welcome his distinguished guest and co-laborer. After most 
cordial greetings were exchanged, the Bishop exclaimed in a 
hearty way that the scene reminded him of his college days, 
at Emmittsburg, when the lumbering old stage-coach on its way 
from Frederick, with its precious freight of rosy-cheeked school 
boys, pulled up its jaded horses before the college porch, — and 
the beloved, energetic, young President would inquire of the driver, 
" How many Elders have you in there " ? 




MOST REV. ARCHBISHOP ELDER. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 239 

After a few hours of pleasant converse, the Bishop returned 
to Cincinnati, with his friends that afternoon. The same week 
the Archbishop visited the city, and on the following Sunday at 
Solemn High Mass formally introduced the new Bishop to the 
Cathedral congregation, commending his well known zealous episco- 
pal life, telling them to thank God for sending him to do for 
them what he could no longer do. 

In April of this year, two of the pupils were attacked simul- 
taneously by Saint Vitus' Dance, and the sisters inexperienced 
in the epidemic nature of the disease, were not sufficiently prompt 
in isolating the cases, and thus preventing its spread. Deeming 
it advisable to disband the pupils for a short period, they were 
all sent home, remaining about three weeks, before they again 
resumed their studies. The Archbishop was in the mean time, 
making a visitation in Dayton, where he gave confirmation to a 
large number of children. Returning early in June to the quiet 
repose of St. Martin's, he conducted the exercises of a three days' 
Retreat, preparatory to the First Communion and Confirmation of 
the pupils on the Feast of the Sacred Heart. 

The annual Commencement brought a goodly number of visitors, 
among them Mr. H. W. I. Garland, the talented young editor of 
the Telegraphy who speaks thus of the Archbishop and the Com- 
mencement : 

"Our readers will be glad to learn that the Archbishop is 
enjoying excellent health. We passed several hours last Thursday 
and Friday, in conversation with the venerable prelate, and on 
Friday morning we were granted the favor of assisting at his 
private Mass, celebrated in the small domestic chapel, in a room 
at the parsonage. The sight of this good old man, who has 
grown gray in God's service, standing at the altar and offering 
sacrifice for the living and the dead, for the faithful living in the 



240 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

eight dioceses included in his Province for the dead, including 
his own mother and sister, true examples of the " devout female 
sex," sleeping beneath snow white marble crosses in the quiet 
God's acre, not a stones throw from the altar on which he cele- 
brated — it was a touching and edifying spectacle." 

In the evening the Commencement Exercises were conducted 
in the large hall, during which Miss Katherine St. Clair Denver 
bore away graduating honors, and the editor comments on the 
exquisite grace, modesty and refinement which characterized every 
movement and accent of the young ladies. He adds, "Last week 
we had to correct a libelous assertion as to the dietary scale of the 
convent. We now say that if the consumption of * roast chestnuts ' 
in any quantities can possibly result in the galaxy of health, 
beauty and culture which we witnessed at St. Martin's, we would 
wish to live upon roast chestnuts for the remainder of the term 
of our natural days." 

The ''libelous assertion" mentioned above by Mr. Garland, was 
thus treated by him in the previous issue of his paper. "It is an 
old saying that the devil sometimes overreaches himself," and we 
have had proof of this of late in the malicious and deliberate 
libels published in the Lancet and Clinic^ a medical journal of Cin- 
cinnati. The object at which the venom of this anti-Catholic 
periodical is specially directed, is the Ursuline Academy in Brown 
County. Everything which bigotry could suggest has been uttered 
by the correspondents of the Lancet and Clinic on this subject, and 
to so low a depth of falsehood has it sunk, as even to maliciously 
charge that roasted chestnuts were used as a substitute for coffee, 
and other injurious diet supplied to the pupils. And Catholics 
employ these shameless traducers. We invite the attention of the 
Catholic press to this matter. Do the heads of Catholic families 
ever consider the character of the physician they employ ? We 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 24 1 

could specif}', if necessar}^, many instances of this bigotry on the 
part of physicians who do not hesitate to shmder CathoHc insti- 
tutions." 

Very soon after the Commencement, the Archbishop returned 
to the city, spending the months of July and August with his 
devoted children — the Sisters of Charity and the Ladies of the 
Sacred Heart. He also attended the consecration of Bishop Wat- 
terson, of Columbus, which took place early in August, and returned 
again to Brown County in September. 

The elections of the house occuring this year resulted in the 
choice of Mother Ursula Dodds, who had served six years as 
Assistant and ten as Mistress of Novices, as Superior ; Sister Bap- 
tista Freaner succeeding her as Assistant, Sister Berchmans O'Connor 
elected as Zelatrice, Sister Xavier Carolan as Treasurer. When the 
last named was sent as Superior of the Santa Rosa colony. Sister 
Dionysia Borgess was re-elected to fill the office which she had 
held three years before. 

The anniversary of the Archbishop's episcopal consecration, 
coming as it did on the Feast of St. Edward, the name's-day of 
his reverend brother, was always a red letter day in the calendar 
of Brown County, and this year, the last the two devoted brothers 
were to spend together in this world, was full of a sad joyfulness. 

September 23rd witnesses the holy profession of Sister Aloysius 
Foley and Sister Kostka Rosecrans, youngest daughter of General 
Rosecrans. The latter is destined for a foundation which is soon 
to carry a colony of Ursulines to the Pacific Coast. During the 
summer the Reverend J. Conway, pastor in the thriving town of 
Santa Rosa, California, petitioned the venerable Archbishop Alemany, 
of San Francisco, for the privilege of inviting the Ursulines of 
Brown County to found a parish and boarding school in the fertile 
and beautiful Santa Rosa Valley. The city of Santa Rosa, seeming 



242 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

to offer every advantage for a good school, it was selected as the 
site of the new foundation. His Grace gave a most willing assent 
to the project, and a positive acceptance having been made by the 
community, Mother Berchmans O'Connor, with Sister Alphonse 
Costello, a young sister intended for the new mission, was deputed 
to visit the city of Santa Rosa and make final arrangements for 
the westward move. A fine building, heretofore occupied as a 
Baptist College, was purchased to serve as an academy, its location 
so near the parish church making it eminently desirable for 
the purpose. 

Preparations for the long journey were in progress during the 
months of September and October, and after spending together for 
the last time the feast of our beloved Mother St. Ursula, the little 
band destined for the new foundation, bade farewell to home and 
its dear surroundings on the morning of October 22nd. Sister 
Xavier Carol an was sent as Mother Superior of the new house, 
assisted by her fellow laborers, Sister Liguori Hammer, Sister 
Kostka Rosecrans, Sister Helena Hines, Sister Michael Kelley, 
two novices. Sister Vincent and Sister Genevieve, with Miss Gal- 
lagher, a former pupil, as postulant. After being most hospitably 
entertained in Cincinnati by the sisters of the Convent of Mercy on 
Fourth street, the next day found them making rapid speed to the 
Pacific Slope, and though filled with zeal for their new work, carry- 
ing with them never dying memories of the loved home they were 
leaving. They made but few halts on their journey to San Fran- 
cisco, where they arrived about the 28th of October. The 
Vicar General, Very Reverend Father Prendergast, accompanied 
by General and Mrs. Rosecrans, met them at some distance from 
the city, receiving them with every mark of respect and cordiality, 
and as they were detained several days in the city awaiting their 
baggage, they were again the guests of the Sisters of Mercy, of 




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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 243 

the Presentation Sisters, and the Sisters of Notre Dame. I^eaching 
their new home on the vigil of All Saints, after one day of rest, 
they took possession of the rooms of the new parish school, where 
over one hundred children eagerly awaited the lessons of Christian 
Wisdom they were longing to impart. As all fruitful fields must 
be sown in furrows marked by the cross, so this community has had 
its trials, but it stands today in its fifteenth year hopeful, happy, 
blessed with every prospect of success, with its small body of 
workers constantly increasing, and laboring with much fruit among 
the children of its boarding and parish schools. 

The joyous festival of All Saints was looked forward to with 
unusual interest this year, the presence of the venerable Archbishop 
in our midst always lending an added joy to the yearly festivals. 
Today it brought not joy, but sadness. On the vigil. His Grace 
showed signs of unusual weakness, and before its close it was 
evident that he would not be able to celebrate Mass on the morrow. 
The convent physician. Dr. Denitson, of Westboro, quickly sum- 
moned, declared the case to be incipient paralysis of the entire left 
side. His condition becoming more critical as the day of All Saints 
wore on, Father Purcell judged it expedient to administer Extreme 
Unction. With reverent affection Father Cheymol, assisted by the 
sorrowing brother, gave the last consolations of the church to the 
prelate who had loved and served her so well, and with the con- 
fidence and peace of a trusting child, the great man prepared to 
meet his Heavenly Father. But the end to this long and useful 
life had not yet come. It was the will of heaven that he who had 
labored so long for others should suffer for a time before entering 
the everlasting kingdom. Rallying quickly from the shock, he was 
again able in a week or two to take a daily walk with some 
stronger arm to support his feeble steps, or drive for a few miles 
through the beautiful country decked in its georgeous autumn robes. 



244 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

his mind meanwhile regaining its usual vigor. Friends visited 
him from time to time, the Right Reverend Co-adjutor coming up 
to spend St. John's Day during the Christmas holidays, thus keeping 
up one of the time-honored celebrations of the old mountain. 

But the last sad change in his checkered life is near at hand. 
Mother and sister rest in graves near by, and soon another shall 
hold the lifeless form of the brother so dear to him. On Sun- 
day, January i6th, Father Edward Purcell said for the last time 
his daily Mass. Ailing on Monday and Tuesday, the physician, 
Dr. Denitson, found symptoms of pneumonia setting in and ordered 
him to keep his bed. At another visit on Wednesday, the doctor 
found him much improved, and most of the time on Thursday 
was spent in his chair by the fireside. The last words which 
Father Purcell uttered in this world were spoken to the sister who 
had gone to inquire after his comfort, when in response to her 
question he said that he was better, and that he would say his 
Mass the following morning, as the Archbishop had been without 
Mass since Sunday. Sister Louise, having left his room about half 
past five in the evening, did not return to it for some time, as he 
said he felt disposed to rest. His room being directly above that of 
the Archbishop, any stir or sound could be distinctly heard below, and 
at half past six, Sister Louise noticing what she thought an unusual 
noise like heavy breathing coming from Father Purcell's room, 
hastened upstairs only to find him in a stroke of apoplexy, with 
but few moments to live. She called down the stairway ; Reverend 
Father Dutton quickly answered her summons, and recognizing 
the symptoms of approaching death, he at once administered the 
Extreme Unction. Father Cheymol repaired to the convent to give 
the alarming news, but before the most rapid steps could carry the 
sisters to the pastoral residence, the soul of the noble, and gentle 
priest, the scholar, the poet, the lover of the poor, the devoted 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 245 

brother of Archbishop Purcell was ushered into the presence of 
his Judge. 

He is gone, — the brother so faithful during forty years of toil 
and hardship, sharing during these years the privations, the trials, 
the anxieties of the great prelate, the priest so true to his divine call- 
ing, — he is gone ; and though for months he has eaten the bread of 
sorrow, he is now where this sorrow will be speedily turned, we 
trust, into eternal joys. None who recall the beauty of the snow- 
covered landscape as the next morning broke again to us the sad 
reality of our loss, will forget the exquisite scene in which lay the 
surrounding gardens nor the sense of fitness that nature should so 
shroud herself in purest beauty to mourn him who sang her praises 
in such strains of harmony. Bough and branch, and green of pine 
and fir, were hidden in robe of bridal whiteness, and the very still- 
ness of the wintry air seemed a requiem over the heart so quickly 
stilled. A few faithful friends came up on Saturday, and in the even- 
ing the remains were brought to the convent chapel, where Vespers, 
Matins and Lauds for the dead were chanted by Right Reverend 
Bishop Elder and the few priests who could leave their Sunday 
charge to pay their last tribute to the memory of Father Edward. 
On Sunday morning a Mass of Requiem was sung, Bishop Elder, 
celebrant, while the various offices of the Mass were filled by 
Reverend Dr. Moeller, Reverend William Cheymol, Reverend P. 
A. Quinn, Reverend Father O'Driscoll, S. J., Father Alphonse, 
C. P., Reverend J. Bowe and Reverend J. B. Murray. The 
Archbishop present in the sanctuary followed the services in mourn- 
ful sadness, and seated in his wheeled chair, joined the proces- 
sion in the blinding snow storm to the little cemetery, where 
a grave beside his mother received the mortal remains of his 
devoted brother. 



246 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

The tribute written by Father Callaghan gives the principal 
events in Father Purcell's life in words so fitting and beautiful 
that we quote it in full. 

'* Death of Very Reverend Bishop Purcell." So reads the 
last page of a history of almost measureless sorrow ; so ends the 
silent pain of a great heart, the numbing grief of a noble soul, 
from which tender, merciful death could alone deliver. So we 
think and feel, as we look at this hour towards the grave of 
this loved priest and true friend, the dear brother of Archbishop 
Purcell. Last Sunday loving hands and breaking hearts laid him 
to rest in the midst of the children of God. The aged mother, 
who waited for the coming of a son, who in virtue and learning 
was an ornament to the Catholic priesthood in this country, drew 
him to her side in the land of death, less cold, less dark to 
him in later years, than the land of the living. And today 
the snow has slowly whitened the new-made grave, falling like 
a peaceful benediction upon the large-minded, great-hearted priest ; 
and no whiter is that stainless snow-covering than was the purity 
of the soul gone to receive a joyous compensation for a life service 
from a grateful justice-loving Master. 

Around him and the angelic daughters who are buried near 
him the clouds of night are gathering while we write ; around 
God's acre, sown with a harvest that shall be golden in the light 
of the resurrection morn ; but thanks to Him who doeth all things 
well, that very darkness has a consolation. It speaks of an eternal 
day to which the cloud of sorrow can never come. 

The night has come, its silence is added to the silence of 
de'ath, our watching of the narrow home is ended. God be thy 
rest, true friend, devoted, faithful brother, humble, generous, 
scholarly priest. In our thoughts, in our life that owes more than 
we dare tell to both, the name and memory of the dead brother 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 247 

is ever linked with the love we bear the living brother. Like 
the disciple whom Jesus loved ; like him as an apostle of religion ; 
like him in the grand gentleness and childlike simplicity of his 
life ; like him in the charity which the Bishop of Ephesus and the 
Prophet of Patmos taught by word and example ; like him in the 
length of years, crowned with the glory of a spotless old age ; 
like him in tarrying until the Master comes ; like him in the love 
with which he daily says come Lord Jesus ; like him in all that 
deserves and wins the reverence of men, is this brother of the 
dead, the patriarch of the American church. For half a century 
thousands of all creeds and races have paid him reverend honor. 
For half a century his name has been hallowed with blessings by the 
children of the Faith, in every quarter of this great land. But 
in this day of his deepest affliction, in this hour of martyrdom, when 
the heart bleeds under the blows of grief, when his apostolic soul 
is wrenched by the breaking of the last tie of kinship with the 
living ; the countless voices that have told his praises in the past, 
will give to him the deepest, truest sympathy. As best we can, 
let us tell what he has lost in the death of his brother; let us 
briefly speak of a life that wore a divine beauty of which no mis- 
fortune could rob it. 

Very Reverend Edward Purcell, the youngest of a family of 
four children, was born in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland, in 1808. 
At the time of his death he had passed the bounds, which the 
Psalmist has fixed for human life, and he found as the Psalmist 
did, that the years beyond the term of three score and ten, were 
" full of sorrow." Spending the first years of life in the beautiful 
valley of the Blackwater, as fair, as rich in coloring as a poet's 
dream, when we saw it a few months ago, this youth of promise 
had his soul flooded with that intense love for the beauties of 
nature which his graceful pen so often revealed. His brother in 



248 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

the early spring-time of life, in obedience to the voice of God, 
bid adieu to home and country to seek a field for his zeal as a 
priest of God in the United States. Before he was fourteen years 
of age, Edward followed his brother across the ocean. At Mount 
St. Mary's, Emmittsburg, of which time-honored institution the 
venerable Archbishop of Cincinnati was for some years President, 
Edward began to show the great intellectual gifts which God had 
bestowed upon him. Mount St. Mary's has given to the American 
church some of its ablest churchmen. It enjoys the undisputed 
honor of educating many of the ripest, most finished scholars that 
have adorned the ecclesiastical histoiy of our land. Among them 
Edward Purcell, by his rare and intellectual powers, by the marked 
classic culture of his mind, held a most enviable place. His prose 
writings had the music and sweetness of poetry. He was pre-emi- 
nently a man of letters. Dr. Brownson, in the heat of controversy, 
could admire the combined grace and vigor of the writings of 
Edward Purcell, as a true chivalrous knight could do homage to 
the valor of a foeman worthy of his steel. And the same strong, 
keen critical mind could say of him as a poet, that he had but few 
equals. Scores of his songs which he gave to the world unsigned, 
unclaimed, are real literary treasures. His thoughts clothed in 
language as beautiful as poet ever voiced, mirror the pure soul 
and the cultivated mind of the future priest. The finished, refined, 
polished scholar ended his college life to enter upon the study and 
practice of law at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Never did young 
barrister commence his profession with brighter, more certain pros- 
pects of the highest success. Among the most conspicuous of his 
gifts, of which religion reaped signal benefit, was his well known 
eloquence. Those who had the pleasure of hearing him in the 
pulpit in the palmy days of his matured and vigorous manhood, 
still speak of his great fascinating, convincing power as an orator. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 249 

The magnificence of his physical presence, the silvery far-reaching 
tones of his voice, and the swelling periods of his matchless rhetoric, 
gave him complete mastery over the minds and hearts of the 
audiences that crowded to hear the 3^oung brother of the Bishop 
of Cincinnati in old St. Peter's Cathedral. 

For some years Edward Purcell devoted himself to the secular 
vocation he had chosen. But while earthly fame and honors 
"were within easy grasp, grace was calling him to a higher, nobler, 
more sacred walk of life. The Holy Spirit that had placed the 
mitre of a Bishop upon the brow of his brother, whose deeds for 
fifty years have given a more than royal lustre to a royal crown, 
was pouring into the soul of the young and able lawyer a resistless 
love for the sanctuary of God. Before the dignity of the priest- 
hood all earthly honor soon seemed as worthless as a wreath of 
decayed leaves. In the freshness of his manhood he resolved to 
give himself to God as the teacher of a Divine Law. Nearly fifty 
years ago he offered himself, with all his rare endowments of soul 
and mind, to the service of the altar. A perfect model of gener- 
osity, scattering blessings as freely as the sun gives light and 
heat, he gave himself to God with that absolute forgetfulness of 
self, which distinguished the end of his long life. He could not 
be a niggard towards God, whose heart and hand were ever open 
to his fellow-men. 

In 1840 he finished his preparation for the priesthood. On 
Passion Sunday of that year, the then young Bishop of Cincinnati 
poured priestly unction upon the hands of his brother. From that 
hour, during forty years, until death parted them, the lives of 
these two faithful servants of God were united so closely that they 
seemed but one. The welfare of religion, the growth of God's 
church in the wilderness of the West, was the one thought beat- 
ing in every pulse of their hearts, directing and ruling every 



250 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

act of their daily lives. What need to tell, even if we could in 
fitting terms, the history of those forty years ? What need to recount 
the trials, the hardships,- the poverty, the sufferings, the Apostolic 
simplicity, the heroic self-denial of those two extraordinary men, 
whom the strongest natural love and the same office of the priest- 
hood joined so closely, so beautifully together ? They sowed in 
tears that others, perhaps forgetful of the debt owed to their heroism, 
might reap in joy. What need to tell of forty years of constant 
unremitting toil that had only one object, to do good to others? 
Has not the storm and the sorrow that clouded the sunset of the 
noble life of Father Edward Purcell, and finally deepened into the 
night of death, been the witness of his complete, his unparalleled 
unselfishness ? Is it not today, a monument richer than all the 
storied marble that could mark his humble grave ? 

In his labors to advance the interests of the Faith, and to 
promote the temporal interests of the thousands of emigrants, 
pouring like an enriching stream over the fertile fields of the West, 
during the past forty years, millions of dollars passed through his 
hands. Had there been the least earthly dross in the gold of his 
pure self-sacrificing soul he could have amassed a princely fortune. 
Others placed in his position, others so swift to censure, so ready 
to bend the knee at the shrine of success, so quick to denounce 
human error and to trample upon the bruised, broken heart, might 
stop at the grave of the honored, high-minded priest and ask them- 
selves if his place in life had been theirs, would their hands have 
been as empty of worldly gain as were the hands of Father Pur- 
cell, when the financial whirlwind struck him down, this unswerving 
friend of struggling industry, this devoted lover of the poor ? 
" Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven." This epitaph belongs to Edward Purcell, that bene- 
diction poured from the heart and lips of the Son of God, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 25 1 

belongs to him who spent his Hfe enriching others and gave nothing 
to himself. That honor, that merit, that glory was given to him 
when earthly happiness passed away forever. After forty years of 
labor his whole worldly wealth consisted of a few books and the 
scant furniture of a room, valued at one hundred and twenty 
dollars. Let the uncharitable tongue, the rancorous heart destroy, 
if they can, this evidence of wondrous godlike generosity and self- 
forgetfulness ; having this defense of his noble life, the memory 
of God's gifted, gentle priest, whose heart strings broke under the 
pressure of his silent grief, we need no other. 

Few men have filled so large a space in the eyes of men 
and have been so little known, or rather, we should say, so 
strangely misunderstood. His shrinking modesty hid from the eyes 
of the multitude, the sterling worth of the man and the priest, upon 
w^hich a few intimate friends set a just value, and therefore held it 
priceless. But God saw in all its shining radiant fulness, the simple 
piety, the lofty devotion, the secret charities of the life of which 
even intimate friends only caught in an unguarded moment the 
faintest glimpse, and of which even they had only the slightest 
knowledge. And God will repay most generously. 

For two years we can now say that Father Edward walked 
with death. Now and then, as weary days passed by, we knew 
from his own lips that he felt the coldness of its shadow, he saw 
its form pressing more closely to his side. To him longing for 
the rest that could come only through the grave, death did not come 
as a messenger of sad tidings, as an unwelcome dreaded intruder. 
He came as an angel of brightness with healing for his heart-w^ounds 
in his wings. He came quickly, stilling the great mind and 
generous soul of Father Edward with a speed that startled and 
numbed the hearts of his friends, but in that speed there was 
mercy to the dead. 



252 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Under the shadow of St. Martin's beautiful convent of the 
daughters of St. Angela, home of piety and learning, that he so 
tenderly loved, he met death with the strong courage and humble 
confidence in God's mercy, that are sweet as heavenly manna to 
the sorely-tried ever faithful priest when the light of eternity is 
breaking. Fortified with the sacraments of the church, whose 
teachings he had copied in his life, surrounded by the holy religious, 
any one of whom would have given her life to prolong his, sup- 
ported by their prayers that never fail to reach the Sacred Heart, 
the venerable man upon whose priestly life there never was a 
stain, passed to eternal rest. We look out again toward the grave 
of him who sent us the last lines of friendship he wrote with a 
hand already shaking with the tremor of death. The snow falls 
without, and there is the stillness of the grave in the vacant room 
where he spent his last years. But out of the stillness comes the 
whisper of a voice that has thrilled the hearts of men for 
eighteen centuries. It lightens tonight the sacred grief of the aged 
surviving brother, broken with age and infirmity, with its words of 
comfort, and as it floats upon the wintry air over the snow-covered 
grave, it says of the noble priest committed to earth's keeping, 
" Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God." 

Dr. Callaghan, who had returned from his European trip in 
the fall of 1880 after spending a few days with the Archbishop 
and his brother, had returned to New York. Not arriving from 
the East in time for the funeral of Father Purcell, he was deprived 
of looking in death upon the face of one whom he had revered 
and loved in life. But to him was to be given the enviable privi- 
lege of taking that brother's place, and by tender ministrations to 
fill in a measure the void left by his death in the heart of the 
venerable Archbishop, and to soothe with the love of a devoted 
son, the remaining days of his increasing sorrows. He, therefore, 



FIFTY 'i'EARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 253 

accepted the invitation so warmly given him to remain with the 
Archbishop, to offer for him the Holy Sacrifice that he was no 
longer able to send up to heaven's throne for himself and his 
belov^ed flock, and to break to him each mornincj the Blessed 
Bread of Life. 

The death of Father Purcell seemed to open and send out 
the great heart of the public in one swelling wave of sympathy 
in his misfortune and of condolence with the Archbishop in his 
sorrow. The daily press in many of the principal cities took up 
the pen to do justice to his memory, and the touching words of 
friendship from Colonel Donn Piatt and others who knew the great- 
ness of the man's soul, are still living in the minds of many whose 
hearts vibrated in sincerest sympathetic feeling. 

The 26th of February, the birthday anniversary of the Arch- 
bishop was brought more forcibly than usual to the notice of his 
many friends owing to his late bereavement. Many, far and near, 
sent kind remembrances and affectionate congratulations to the last 
of his race, to the oldest, most venerated prelate of the American 
church. Obliged to be in the city on Saturday, Bishop Elder spent 
with him the day preceding and said Mass for him in the little 
parlor chapel. Bright happy memories of the two old moun- 
taineers were revived, and gave to the occasion a rare pleasure 
that could come from no other. On Friday morning at lo o'clock 
the pupils of the academy, advancing the time as Bishop Elder 
was obliged to return to the city at noon, entertained the Arch- 
bishop and the Right Reverend Co-adjutor with music and addresses 
and a French dialogue. 

"The priests of the household, with Father Bowe of Fayette- 
ville, the religious, the pupils of the academy and the parochial 
school, contributed in every possible way to gladden the heart 
of the Christian Simeon, and to make the feast a red-letter day 



254 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

in the calendar of his saintly life. In the afternoon, amid 
songs and feasting, good Sister Anthony whose name is a syno- 
nym for charity, was a welcome guest. In the evening Bishop 
Borgess of Detroit arrived ; his coming fully crowned this happy 
day. Will the great Archbishop live to see another such anni- 
versary? If countless prayers daily repeated in every part of this 
country, and in lands beyond the sea, receive the response which 
hearts wish that utter them, he will live not only to see another, 
but to celebrate the golden jubilee of his episcopacy." 

We have not spoken of the personal loss of Father Purcell 
to the community, but it is measured when we say that he had 
been all that a good father, a prudent superior could be. He 
was succeeded by the Reverend P. A. Quinn, who kindly con- 
sented, at the urgent solicitation of the community, to assume the 
responsible office of ecclesiastical Superior. For this he was ably 
fitted by his long personal experience in religious life, and by his 
successful administration of the business affairs of the Seminary. 

On May 24th, the Right Reverend Bishop received the vows 
of Sister Mary Thomas Grannan and Sister Mary Paul Morrissey, 
delivering at the same time a most instructive sermon on the 
dignity and merits of the religious state. In the evening the 
guests, among whom was Bishop Toebbe, coming to pay a visit of 
friendship to the Archbishop, were handsomely entertained by the 
play and tableaux representing the martyrdom of St. Ursula and 
her companions. 

The Commencement Exercises were honored by the presence of 
the Most Reverend Archbishop, of the Right Reverend Bishop Elder 
and the Bishop of Little Rock, and many of the clergy. The only 
young lady graduated was Miss Mary Lucas, of Memphis, Tennessee. 

A still greater honor was enjoyed during the summer in enter- 
taining the eleven bishops of the Province, who, after holding a 




REV. P. A. QUINN. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 255 

S3'nod in Cincinnati, had come to St. Martin's to pay their respects 
to the venerable Metropolitan. By a happy chance the Bishop of 
Omaha, Right Reverend James O'Connor was also visiting His 
Grace at the time, with Dr. McGlynn of New York ; and this 
gathering of distinguished prelates, reflected not only their senti- 
ment towards their venerable chief, but that true goodness of heart 
and brotherly affection, which must ever animate the lives of the 
bishops of God's church. 

'* The Feast of St. Cecilia, always a happy glad festival in 
the church, a yearly renewal of the sweet joyous memory of the 
Virgin Martyr, who gave up Patrician wealth, rank, honor, even 
life itself for the Crucified, was a twice blessed day at the Convent 
of the Ursulines, at St. Martins," — says the Telegraph. "Another 
soul, with the strength and generosity born of special grace, was 
added to the many thousands, who, vow-bound lay at the foot of 
the cross the sacrifice of their lives, that they may reign with 
Christ forever." 

With the divine promise of a hundredfold compensation, 
Sister Angela, (Miss Florence Lincoln) made her religious profession 
last Tuesday. Bishop Elder officiated on this occasion, receiving 
her vows. Reverend F. X. Button, a relative of the professed, 
preached an eloquent and learned sermon on the nature and dignity 
of religious life. 

The natural and spiritual beauty of the day, the grand ceremony 
of the profession, a scenic hymn, the divine echo of that song of 
the saint, that mingles its sounds with the waters of eternal life, the 
rich, whole-burnt offering of the religious, a " spectacle to angels and 
to men," and the hardly less generous sacrifice of mother, sisters 
and relatives, who were present in the chapel, the beautiful sermon 
addressed to the newly-crowned and the pious cummunity, all com- 
bined to make that act of religion a long treasured remembrance. 



256 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

"As usual on such occasions at St. Martin's, the Bishop, clergy 
and other visitors were delightfully entertained in the evening by 
the pupils. The rich sunshine of the festal day there lingered 
in the hearts of all long after the clouds of night had fallen." 

The year 1881 closed without any further incident of note, 
while with the ushering in of the new came the offering of the 
Anniversary Mass for the repose of the soul of Father Edward. 
Reverend Dr. Callaghan sang the Mass and preached on the occa- 
sion, and devoted friends visited the silent grave, " where loving 
hands had mingled the red of roses with the whiteness of the 
snow, and the print of bended knees told of the fervent prayers 
that had been offered for the soul of a firm friend and unselfish, 
disinterested, self-sacrificing priest." 

Heaven claimed as its tribute from the New Year two saintly 
souls who had spent themselves in God's service in doing the 
work of the community. Sister Margaret Halloran died after a 
lingering illness on January 2nd, and Sister Martial Soulier, one of 
the original Beaulieu band, quickly followed her on the sixth of 
the same month. In two months this venerable sister, so rich in 
the merits of a suffering as well as of a laboring life, would have 
reached the fifty years of her profession. For many years help- 
less from illness and old age, it was still most earnestly hoped 
that these golden years would have been consummated in the 
society of her sisters on earth, but heaven willed her to be 
gathered to that shining throng that lives in the endless day of 
heaven's ever circling years. 

The birthday of the Most Reverend Archbishop presented to 
some of his friends the occasion of refurnishing his rooms at the 
pastoral residence. Up to this time they were still in the primi- 
tive severity of white-washed walls and ingrain carpets, but on 
the eve of his birthday ushered into them, now newly furnished, 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 257 

curtained, papered and carpeted throughout, his tender grateful 
heart was filled with satisfaction at his new surroundings, for he 
knew that the thoughtfulness to which he owed them came from 
sincere and loving hearts. Not often able to reacli the chapel, 
he was, however, on the following morning supported to the throne 
prepared for him, and followed every part of the Mass {coram 
episcopo) with close attention, giving the solemn benediction at its 
close in a low but distinct voice. 

The closing exercises of the year were brilliantly successful 
in every particular, and much praise given to the only young 
lady graduated, Miss Anna Jordan, of Wheeling, West Virginia. 

Sister Bridget McCarthy departed this life February 9th, 1883, 
peacefully and hopefully, after a short illness of pneumonia, strength- 
ened with all the church gives to soothe and fortify the dread part- 
ing of soul and body. 

A shrine of hallowed associations, one which the heart of the 
Brown County school-girl never fails to seek in her moments of 
childish griefs or buoyant joy, — one to which she afterwards turns 
in loving fondness when the deeper sorrows and joys of life have 
been her portion, — is familiarly known in the convent as Our 
Blessed Lady's Chapel. Here, in youth's precious days, she has 
learned from the heart of Mary Immaculate the lesson that will 
light the dark pages of sorrow in her life record, or that will lift 
up the joy thrilling her soul when the angels trace the glistening 
leaf of its golden moments. Only in the Heart of the Virgin 
Mother, of the Woman whom heaven's messenger hailed full of 
grace, does woman find the Unspotted Model, whose following 
can satisfy the aspirations of her high nature, or j:he higher long- 
ings of the supernatural which are ever making themselves felt 
in the pure of heart. At the foot of this altar the Sodalist learns 
these lessons, and with them she also learns to love this sacred 



258 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

spot honoring Her, "Our tainted nature's solitary boast." From 
the foundation of the house, the large room at the north end, 
adjoining the parlor, had been set apart by Notre Mere as an 
Oratory of the Blessed Virgin, a small altar, surmounted by a 
statue of Our Lady of Grace and other pious furnishings, being 
the only distinctive mark which the room possessed over others 
of the house. Here the pupils have always assembled to hold the 
meetings of the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception, which was 
established and affiliated to the Prima Primaria of Rome at a 
very early date. We find on its roll, kept in a silver sword- 
pierced heart, the emblem with which the church reminds us of 
the Most Pure Heart which fills heaven with the joy of its beat- 
ings, the name of its first professed members to be Miss Margo 
Duer, Miss Frances Gross and Miss Jane McKay, admitted June 
24, 1848. Year after year the number of the faithful children of 
Mary increased, and shed lustre on their beautiful title by their 
example in the class-room, and later on by the faithful discharge 
of the graver duties which fell to their lot in after life. 

In the course of the scholastic year i877-'78 a few of these 
devoted children, donating a modest sum for the purchase of a 
new altar for the Oratory, gave an impulse toward the complete 
remodeling and refurnishing which constitute its beauty today. 

At the time the sisters had been engaged about a year in 
learning and perfecting the art of designing and wood carving, 
under the kind and disinterested instruction of Mr. Benn. Pitman, 
of the School of Design attached to the University of Cincinnati. 
Full of characteristic benevolence and of the humanitarian qualities 
so marked in this well-known English family, this worthy gentleman 
spent much time and energy in teaching both wood carving and 
the Pitman system of phonography — given to the world by his 
distinguished brother, now Sir Isaac Pitman, of Bath, England — 



il 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 259 

to a class of appreciative students among the sisters. With a 
certain experience and enthusiasm, gained in fashioning the dull 
block of wood into forms of suggestive beauty and loveliness, there 
arose a desire to consecrate their first work to the honor and love 
of their Immaculate Mother, by decorating and remodeling and 
making more distinctively a chapel, the room that had been set 
apart in Her honor. This desire and intention were warmly 
seconded by the devout children of Mary, about two hundred in 
number, and contributions were generously sent in for the purchase 
of material. With eager hands the zealous decorators set to work 
on their labor of love, their first definite plan, modest in its con- 
ception, going no further than the carving of the baseboard and 
the laying of a fine hard wood floor. But the execution of one 
detail seemed but to lead to the suggestion of another, and, the 
generosity and interest of friends still supplying the funds for 
material, it was resolved to build a recess in the wall for the 
reception of a new marble altar. This considerably enlarged 
the size of the chapel and gave room for the beautiful ornamenta- 
tion of the carved facade shown in the adjoining cut. In the con- 
struction of this and the beautiful wood ceiling the sisters received 
great aid from Mr. Mark Spence, who so ably carried out their 
suggestions. ' The altar, designed by the eminent veteran architect, 
Mr. P. C. Keeley, of Brooklyn, and executed by Hall & Brother, 
of Boston, is beautiful with its Roman arched niche, chaste carv- 
ing and warm pillars of onyx relieving the severe whiteness of the 
marble. By many the door is considered the most beautiful feature 
of the carved work, its shape and position admitting better field 
for appropriate design and decoration than any other portion of the 
room. The windows of stained glass, softening the bright rays of 
the sun, as he journeys to the west front of the house, were 
donated — one by the pupils of i88i-'82, another by Reverend P. A. 



26o FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Quinn, our kind Superior, and the third by the Misses Coleman, 
of Louisville. The beautiful floor with its inlays of ebony was the 
gift of Mrs. Jane Springer Mills, whilst Mrs. John Henry, the first 
Child of Mary enrolled contributed handsomely to the purchase of 
the marble altar. But to many of these children of Mary, and to 
many friends whose generous donations supplied the moneyed 
means which made the work possible, to all these belong the satis- 
faction of placing within our reach the possession of this loved 
shrine, and we may justly add, the heavenly reward which this 
loving Mother will pour into their hearts when she gathers them 
at her feet in the Kingdom of her Divine Son. 

The day appointed for the consecration of the altar and dedi- 
cation of the chapel was May 17th, 1883. Invitations had been sent 
to all the Children of Mary, comprising the Sodality, and many 
availed themselves of this opportunity of renewing their devotion to 
the Ever Blessed Mother, and assisted with joyful hearts at the cere- 
monies which began about nine o'clock on the morning of the 
day appointed. Right Reverend Bishop Elder, assisted by Reverend 
Dr. Moeller and Reverend P. A. Quinn, officiated, carrying out 
in every detail the beautiful ceremonial of the rite for the conse- 
cration of an altar. No doubt, the generous workers felt repaid 
for the hard toil when the Sacred Host was lifted in adoring love 
above their hearts bowed in worship, and all present joined in 
thanksgiving that their united efforts to honor the Queen of Heaven 
were crowned by this sublime act of worship to God. 

The remainder of the day was spent in the renewal of old 
friendships, which time and distance had severed but not lessened, 
closing with a creditable rendition by the pupils of the beautiful 
cantata, ".The Hermit's Harp," and other appropriate selections. 

There was but one thought of sadness mingling as an under- 
tone with the universal joy of the day — the absence of the Most 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 26 1 

Reverend Archbishop. Growing gradually weaker during the early 
spring, the sight of his wheeled chair on the convent grounds 
was not so frequent as it had been before. Still his active mind 
remained clear, and his memory of old acquaintances remarkable. 
When these came into his presence, although not always able to 
mention the names in his cordial greetings, his quick wit was 
always at his service to make allusion to some distinguishing char- 
acteristic of the individual, or some circumstance in connection 
with their acquaintance which had impressed itself upon his won- 
derful memory. 

Since the first stroke of paralysis, October 31st, 1880, two 
others, though slight, had been added at different times, and now 
came the fourth and last, Thursday, June 29th. Dr. Callaghan, 
with his ever watchful solicitude administered the last sacraments, 
but the invalid again rallied, and for the moment, fond hopes 
revived. The sad intelligence was soon conveyed to numberless 
friends throughout the land, and on Sunday, such alarming symp- 
toms set in, that the end was thought to approach. On Tuesday 
morning at the early hour of three o'clock. Bishop Elder arrived, 
having made a hurried trip on receiving the news, from Emmitts- 
burg, where he had gone to attend the Commencement of Mount 
St. Mary's College. Other members of the clergy arrived on 
Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon about five 
o'clock, the death symptoms became more marked, — the breathing 
labored and difficult, and looking on the pallid face, it was but 
too evident that the hours on earth of this great man were few. 
Dr. Callaghan taking his stand at the side of his beloved father 
and friend, about six o'clock, stood almost motionless except for 
the prayers that his lips uttered until the last breath had been 
drawn, and he had closed the eyes that had turned to him, but 
an hour before, their last look of loving recognition. Around his 



262 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

bedside knelt Bishop Elder, with Reverend Fathers Cheymol, Bowe, 
J. B. and Michael Donahue, Dr. Hecht and Mr. George Roberg 
of Cincinnati, with some of the sisters, while many prayed at the 
entrances of their beloved father's room. All are waiting for 
that great heart's pulses to still their earthly beatings, when the 
solemn tolling of the convent bell tells forth in mournful tones on 
the midnight air that the noble soul of John Baptist Purcell, first 
Archbishop of Cincinnati, has opened its life record at the bar of 
its Eternal Judge. The little clock on the mantel, marks the 
hour a quarter to twelve ; slowly, reverently, tearfully, the De 
Profundis is said by the kneeling mourners, and all take a last 
fond leave of the great dead prelate. Father Callaghan goes 
directly to his room to send a telegram to the Cathedral, and 
this single line telegraphed by him to Father Halley, *'The Arch- 
bishop died at a quarter to twelve," conveyed to the whole city the 
sad intelligence. The tolling of the Cathedral bell was echoed by 
the other church bells, and there was sound mourning in thousands 
of homes both Catholic and Protestant, as if one of the household 
had been taken awaj^ Whilst the Archbishop's death had been 
apprehended daily, the little line startled the readers of the morning 
papers, by its very meagreness, which was yet so full of meaning. 
It was difficult to realize that one whose name and kindly face 
and good work had been so familiar and so dear to over two 
generations of people in and about Cincinnati, and who had been 
venerable when even thousands of grandfathers had first known 
him, had passed away. 

The morning sun, streaming brightly in the little East room 
of the presbytery, shot across the venerable form on the couch to 
which it had been lifted by reverent hands during the early hours 
awaiting the arrival of Mr. J. J. Sullivan. After the embalming 
of the sacred remains, the sisters were allowed the coveted privilege 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 263 

of watching and praying in the presence of that which seemed 
not death, but a living spiritual existence. The remembrance of 
the departed brother was lovingly suggested, for at the head of 
the dead prelate, embowered in flowers and surrounded by burning 
lights, was the beautifully illuminated copy of his poem, "The 
Fallen Leaf/' which had been executed and sent to him, after 
Father Purcell's death, by the Ladies of the Sacred Heart. 

Preparations were made for the removal of the remains to 
Cincinnati, and on Saturday morning a High Mass of Requiem 
was sung, with Father Callaghan as Celebrant, Father Michael 
Donahue as Deacon, Dr. Hecht as Sub-deacon, Father Kennedy 
as Master of Ceremonies, Father Bowe, Father Mazurett and 
Father Dennis Mackey as acolytes. The body of the chapel was 
effectively draped in mourning, the carved front of the altar con- 
cealed by a black antependium with the symbol of the cross in 
white. The candlesticks were also draped. Between twelve and 
one o'clock the nuns and the few children remaining for the 
vacation, formed in a double line at the intersection of the gravel 
walks leading to the presbytery, and there awaited the procession 
slowly coming from the house. Dr. Callaghan in stole and black 
velvet cope, led the Reverend clergy, and there in the shaded avenue 
with the community for the last time grouped around the venerated 
remains, they were placed on a temporary catafalque, whilst he pro- 
nounced the beautiful prayers of the ritual. It was a moment never 
to be forgotten — the group of religious, the surpliced priests, the 
sylvan surroundings, the blue heavens and bright sunlight over the 
shadowed hearts, — all were in keeping with the great, yet simple, 
affectionate heart, that lay cold and still amid the sweet scenes of 
Nature he loved so well. When the procession started, just at the 
walk leading to the rustic seats, the casket was transferred to the 



264 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

hearse, and all bearing lighted tapers, chanting the sad tones of the 
Miserere, proceeded to the gates. 

Here a number of residents from the parishes of St. Martin's 
and Fayette ville, who for two years had grown familiar with the 
bowed form, as His Grace drove through the country on his cus- 
tomary airing, met the procession and accompanied the sad train 
to Westboro. Sadly the nuns watched the last carriage disappear, 
and silently with words of prayer on their lips they retraced their 
steps to the convent, to await the return of their precious charge. 

At Westboro a special train, tendered the committee on arrange- 
ments by Mr. Stewart, Manager of the C, W. and B., was in 
waiting to receive the cortege. Coaches and funeral car were 
draped in emblems of mourning, and crowded with members from 
the different congregations of the city, come to pay their last tribute 
of respect and veneration. The train did not reach the city until 
five o'clock, and as it entered with tolling bell, a body of Catholic 
Knights cleared the way among the dense crowd for the lowering 
of the casket and the forming of the escort. Bishop Elder advanced 
with bared head, accompanied by three of the Cathedral priests, 
and followed the remains of the Archbishop to the hearse, then 
entering a carriage, proceeded to -the Cathedral. 

The details of the lying in state are still present in the mind 
of the public. Whilst preparations were being made in the 
Cathedral, the body clad in full pontifical robes lay on a catafalque 
in the east room of the Archepiscopal residence, where thousands 
of his flock and of the people of Cincinnati looked for the last time 
upon the face that was as familiar to them as a household word. 
By timing the number of people who passed in a minute, it was 
estimated that thirty thousand passed on Sunday, the same on 
Monday, while Tuesday's record, after the body was removed to 
the Cathedral, equalled that of the other two days combined. The 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 265 

removal of the remains to the Cathedral took place at lo o'clock 
Tuesday, and most impressive was the scene in the church — the 
massive pillars, the black draping of the great altar, of the 
sanctuary railing, the beautiful pictures covered with the same 
sombre hue, while the vacant throne was draped canopy and body 
in purple. 

About eight o'clock Vespers, Matins and Lauds of the Office 
of the Dead were chanted, and he who had spent his life in 
prayer still appealed in the touching accents of the church for that 
mercy and pardon which he had so often begged for others. At 
nine all the services were over, but the searching throng was kept 
up until daybreak. On Wednesday morning the Requiem High 
Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop-elect, there being present 
five Archbishops, fifteen Bishops and over two hundred priests. The 
funeral oration was preached by Bishop Gilmore, while music, 
sublime and beautiful was rendered by the large choir of fifty voices. 

The obsequies at last came to an end, and the forming of 
the great procession began. Fitting it was that the congregations 
of which he had been so long the father and head, should follow 
him in one grand mass in his march to the tomb. The scene when 
the procession reached the depot was deeply affecting, for only when 
the loved remains were lifted into the car prepared for their reception 
did the people seem to realize that he was going from them forever. 
Men, women and children sobbed as the funeral train drew out 
from the depot on its return to Westboro. Arriving there about 
half past four o'clock, the funeral cortege was immediately formed 
for its march to the convent. The procession was over a mile 
long, and reached the entrance gate of the avenue about six o'clock. 
Slowly the nuns, robed in their choir mantles holding lighted tapers, 
turned their faces from the setting sun, with the sad yet sweet 
consciousness of the coming presence of their good father, who 



266 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

had given his precious remains to their keeping, never to be taken 
away. The Miserere is alternately chanted by the surpliced priests 
and veiled religious, down through the shade of the willows and 
firs, across the little bridge, by the lake which mirrored the beauti- 
ful living picture as it passed its banks, until the convent walls 
echo back its mournful tones as the procession wends its way 
through the long corridor to the chapel on the third floor. Home 
again ! and the silent watch is taken up for the night, the last 
hours that can be spent with all that remains of the earthly 
presence of the father and friend. 

Accommodations had been arranged for the clerical guests, 
about fifty in number, who had accompanied the remains, and after 
the supper was served, all retired to the places assigned for the 
night — the cottage, the music rooms and the play hall which had 
been arranged as dormitories. 

Early the next morning the loud chorus of blue jay and cardi- 
nal, quarrelsome sparrow and gentle dove brought the city visitors 
astir, and as the morning sun bathed the gardens in golden beauty, 
all were in admiration of the scene, so vivid a contrast to the woe 
of yesterday. Soon on the grounds were assembled the multitude, 
who begged for admission to the Requiem Mass. All were allowed 
to pass up to the chapel to view the distinguished dead for the 
last time, while tickets to the number of three hundred and eighty 
were issued, the chapel being too small to accommodate more. The 
Mass is over, the last absolution pronounced over the sacred body, 
the casket closed, and the procession started on its way to the little 
cemetery. Here the priests surrounded the grave, and while the 
nuns stood within the inclosure, the people gathered outside. The 
beautiful funeral service of the Ritual is pronounced, the soul- 
inspiring tones of the *^ Benedictus Doininus Deus Israel,'^ rising from 
the swelling hearts of the fifty priests, caught up by the gentler 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 267 

strains of the sisters' trembling voices, are echoed back from the 
beautiful wood which forms the background of the scene. The 
casket is lowered to its last resting place near the mother, whose 
spirit has welcomed her son to that other world, and the mortal 
remains of Cincinnati's first Archbishop lie by her side, awaiting 
the glorious immortality which shall one day be the portion of 
God's saints. 

The mourning drapery our little chapel wore was not removed 
until after the celebration of the Month's mind. August 4th High 
Mass of Requiem was sung by Father Callaghan, assisted by Rev- 
erend J. Bowe as Deacon ; Reverend D. M. Mackey, pastor of St. 
Martin's, Sub-deacon ; Reverend J. J. Kennedy, of Walnut Hills, 
Master of Ceremonies ; Mr. Buckley and Mr J. Foley, S. J., as 
Acolytes, and Mr. Nicholas Kelly and Mr. Adolph Sourd as Thu- 
rifers. The venerable and beloved Father Cheymol was present 
in the sanctuary. 

It would seem fitting that this should be the moment, and ours 
the task, to recount the leadmg events of this great life — the birth 
of this illustrious man in the old stone house on Bridge street, 
Mallow; his childhood spent on the banks of the beautiful Black- 
water, when, as his saintly mother used to tell of him, any childish 
waywardness being manifested by the romping boy, it was sufficient 
correction to say to him: "John, if you are not a good boy, you'll 
never be a priest ! " Gladly would we glance into his beautiful 
home life, at the leave-taking of the young Purcell for America, 
of his studies at Emmittsburg, his return to Paris to learn in the 
hall of the good Sulpitians the lessons of priestly lore and priestly 
piety, with which he afterwards blessed the lives of others ; or to 
follow him in his able Presidency at the old Mountain, in his call 
to the growing State of Ohio as its Bishop, until we meet his 
kindly smile at the opening of our history, when he welcomes our 



268 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

little family of Ursulines in his new Cathedral of Cincinnati. But 
all these events have been so recently detailed, are yet so fresh in 
the minds of all who knew and loved the venerable man, that we 
would not tire our readers with their rehearsal. Just as we leave 
to future times and to stronger hands the rearing of a more fitting 
monument than now marks the spot where repose the ashes of the 
great patriarch of Ohio, so we leave to a later day and a more 
skilful pen the enviable task of giving to the world a biography of 
one, distinguished above so many of his fellow-men. 

Ours is but the duty of grateful children, of one who owes to 
him, under God, the priceless gift of faith, and of many who hallow 
the name of him under whose protection they were led to share the 
blessings of the religious life. We seek, rather the source whence 
sprang all that is recognized as great in him, the means whereby 
he grew to that sanctity which gave such lustre to a long and 
tried episcopal life. A writer in one of the daily papers says of him 
at the time of his death, "The success of Archbishop Purcell was 
due to the extraordinary abilities of the man, — his learning, piety 
and zeal. A pure life always gives great influence, and his was 
absolutely without blemish." What made it so? Let us answer this 
query, not from our own intuitions of the great man's character, 
not from personal knowledge, nor from inferences drawn from the 
individual acts of a life so well known to the public for over 
three score years, — but let it be answered by himself, in his own 
words, which reveal the source and fountain head of all that made 
it so pre-eminently great and noble. We find that he made the 
Retreat, preparatoiy to receiving the sacred unction as a bishop, at 
the well known pioneer shrine of Catholicity, Conewago, Pennsyl- 
vania, from the second of October to the ninth of the same month, 
1833. During this time he drew up for himself a rule of life, 
which we give in his own words. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 269 

** Umim est necessariumy To be united to God, consummated 
in one with Him, is all that is necessary It was the last prayer 
of Jesus Christ for His disciples during His mortal life. *'That 
they may be one Father, as We are one.'" " Quid mihi est in coelo^' 
says St. Paul, "' et a TV, quid volut super terrain T^ ^^Deus meus et 
omjiia^' says St. Francis de Sales. "Be not solicitous," says Jesus 
Christ. What a multitude of superfluous wants, distracting cares, 
defiling attachments, idle indulgences and sinful wastes, will not 
this one maxim retrench ! I propose to rise at five, winter and 
summer, and to retire at ten. If ever tempted to take more 
sleep, let me say " unum est necessarium^ 

When troubled at ill success in my undertakings, I will say, 
^^unum est necessarium.''^ This great truth taught by Jesus Christ 
Himself, duly meditated, will enable me with His grace, without 
which I cannot do anything, and which grace I hope from His 
Infinite Mercy, which He has so often extended to His poor 
unworthy serv^ant, and the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin 
Mary, my Mother, Advocate and Holy Patroness, will follow me 
all the days of my hfe, to practice the great virtues of self-denial, 
of interior and exterior mortification, poverty in spirit, chastity 
beyond reproach, humility, meekness, self-immolation pro animabus^ 
ut et ipsae salutem^ consequuntur^ quae est in Chris to Jesu, cum gloria 
cae teste, ^''Je desire peu^" says St. Francis de Sales, W ce peu, je le 
desire peu,^ ''Mores sine avaritia, ama nesciri et pro nihilo reputari. Tu 
nee in hoc^ nee in illo,^^ 

I have lost much in not meditating on the sufterings of Christ, 
this was ingratitude, for I would not be a priest, much less a 
Xn, were it not for His Sacrifice. Therefore, every Friday, I 
will make a meditation on some part of the suflferings of Christ, 
and I will honor with the Divine Sacrifice, the bloody immolation 



270 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

of Calvary consummated so vividly and, it should be so piously, 
at Mass. 

Every day I will visit the Blessed Sacrament for at least 
twenty minutes and rehearse there before our Lord, His love and 
my infidelities, with a view to compunction, gratitude and better 
service for the time to come. My examination of conscience I 
will daily make at His Feet. I will try to make my life a 
continual prayer, by attention to my morning meditation, by union 
with God and by frequent and fervent meditation, and by pious 
lectures. 

Knowing that it is to prayer alone that God ordinarily grants 
His grace, I will constantly employ this great means to obtain what 
I so much want for myself and others. My soul should be con- 
sumed as a holocaust before God, nor shall I ever retire from 
before His Face until He regard and have pity on myself, the 
people, my flock, whom He has given to me to love, feed, defend 
and iTile. The Divine Sacrifice I will offer every week for this 
purpose, and earnestly invite the Guardian Angels of those dear 
children in Christ to unite with me in repelling from them all evil 
and invoking on them the abundance of the Divine benedictions. 
O Jesus Christ ! the great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, forsake 
me not, leave me not to faint under a burden which your Divine 
Love and obedience to your Heavenly Father's Will has laid on me ! 

I will never let a year pass without making a Retreat, if pos- 
sible, about the time of my consecration. In this I will most dili- 
gently prepare myself for death, for judgment, for my eternity. I will 
review the manner in which I perform my various and awful duties, 
care of my diocese, priests and people, religious and laity ; how 
prepare for the Divine Sacrifice, perform the Blessed Office, and 
my other vocal prayers, resolving never to say the Office without 
having some special object, such as a vice to correct, a virtue to 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 27 1 

acquire, to pray for. How I receive and administer the Sacrament 
of Penance, how I provide for the spiritual welfare and temporal 
well-being of the Seminary and College. 

At all times I will practice fraternal charity, often making fervent 
acts of the love of my Jieighbor^ and cordially embracing it in spirit, 
particularly when I experience temptations to the contrary. 

The poor I will relieve, the afflicted I will console, pauper 
ero orphano when I can; those who aid me in this divine function, 
such as priests and sisters, I will pray for, venerate and long 
ardently before God for their perfection. 

The virtue of purity of heart I will carry as far as practicable, 
reading frequently what may best enlighten and fortify me on this 
matter, and particularly among others, the life and virtues of St. 
Francis de Sales. ^' Beaii mundo corded 

I will rarely speak directly on controversial points, — morals, — 
piety, — more expedient, — oftener, too, on the mercy of God than I 
have hitherto done. I will aspire constantly to the holy love of 
God, it is for this I am a Bishop. Si amas me^ pasce oves nieas. 
To whom but to Bishops, in a more special manner, did St. Paul 
say: ^^ Omnia vestra ex catitate fiant,'''' who else have more reason 
to say of themselves, *' si tradidero corpus ut ardeam caritatem autem 
non habuerOy ?iihil sum.^' 

My sins will not discourage me, for St. Bernard says : " Non 
attendit Deus quid fecerit homo, sed quid velit esse.^^ 

Conformity to the will of God shall be one of my favorite 
virtues. All my life long it has been my resource and guide. I 
have ever simply obeyed my spiritual directors, Mr. Dubois and 
Mr. Hickey. I hope I have not erred. Purity of intention — octdus 
simplex, I will cherish, for whom but for God should I labor ? 
Alas ! the servants of self-love have but a poor reward ; of this 
world, a short-lived one; — evanuerunt ; Patience; non contristabit justum 



272 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

quidquid ei accidetit. Jugis pax cum humili — Dominus dedit — abstulit — 
sit nomen Domini benedtctum — for God you have undertaken a thing, 
why trouble if it succeed not ? You have your reward from the 
Discerner of hearts." 

Being dead, yet so speaketh the inmost soul of John Baptist 
Purcell. He needs no interpreter, no keen eye to look down in 
the depths of his simple heart, for here he opens it and gives the 
reason that his life was " absolutely without blemish." Sincere 
love of God; *' I will constantly aspire to the holy love of God, it 
is for this I am a Bishop. I will often make fervent acts of love 
of my neighbor." On these " hang the law and the prophets," 
and on the faithful, daily, constant practice of these eminent virtues 
did the great soul build the ever living monument of his sanctity, 
and though storms arose, and the winds blew, and the rains beat 
against it, it stood through his life, it still stands, crowned by 
that patience which makes perfect, just as his rule of life living, 
voicing the very spirit of Wisdom, reaches through the scale of 
virtues, and ends in that which hath the perfect work. ^^Justum 
non contristabit^' quidquid ei accident.^' The just man will not be cast 
down, let happen to him what will, — and the agonizing close of 
his saintly life exemplified in a shining manner this noble virtue, 
which crowned and consummated the human life of his Divine 
Model, Christ, Our Lord. " Deus dedit — abstulit — stt nomen Domini 
benedictum V^ 

A solemn High Mass of Requiem for the repose of the 
Archbishop's soul was celebrated in our chapel on October 13th, 
the fiftieth aniversary of his episcopal consecration. Father Cogh- 
lan, S. J., then rector of St. Xavier's College, Cincinnati, Celebrant; 
Father Mazurette of Cumminsville, Deacon ; Father Mackey, Sub- 
deacon ; Father Bowe, Master of Ceremonies, with Father Cheymol 
as Assistant Priest. Let us trust that God's infinite mercy had 




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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 273 

already received the soul of the saintly Bishop, into the Apostolic 
throng around His Throne, and that the good and faithful servant 
had entered into the joy of his Lord. 

During the spring and summer of 1884, the Sisters were 
occupied with the thought of marking the grave of the late Arch- 
bishop by some memorial, since their slender means would not 
allow them to erect a monument worthy of the deceased. A 
slab of granite, simply inscribed — "John Baptist Purcell, First 
Archbishop of Cincinnati, Born February 26th, 1800, Died July 
4th, 1883," covers the spot holding his sacred ashes, reposing 
between the graves of his mother and sister on one side and that 
of Father Edward on the other. The plain granite monument 
over Father Purcell was erected through the exertions of Reverend 
P. A. Quinn. 

A low Mass of Requiem was celebrated by Reverend Father 
Cheymol in our little chapel on the first anniversary, July 4th, 
1884. Several friends came from the city to pay their tribute of 
love to their deceased father by praying at his grave. Tender 
hands placed appropriate floral emblems on the sacred spot, and 
all day long the little cemetery was a scene of prayer and silent 
grief. We might say these were prolonged even into the quiet 
moonlit night, for a rare Night-Blooming Cereus gave promise 
during the day of unfolding its waxen petals to the night, and it 
was determined to watch the bloom until it was fully open and 
place it upon the grave. Few who took part in this little episode 
will ever forget the exquisite beauty of the night and of the sur- 
roundings, nor the supernatural joy which seemed to fill the 
heart at the almost sensible communing with the dead, as all 
knelt in prayer round the grave. The blooming of this rare flower 
was suggestive of some beautiful thoughts, crystalized by one of 
the sisters, in the following lines : 



274 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

THE NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS. 

In some hushed hour, 
When silence weaves her glistening web of dreams, 

Thou peerless flow'r 
Dost breathe thy beauty forth in tangled bower ! 
I/) ! how thy whiteness in the darkness gleams. 

Like some old joy 
That we in youthful visions long have sought, 
And yearning, strove to make reality ! 

Thou Sibyl strange ! 
What mystery dost show in waxen folds 

Held fast? 
Thou mute enchantress, ope thy petals pale 
And fling abroad the treasure thou dost veil, 

Ere yet the night be past ! 
Ah ! thy deep mystery, thy beauty rare. 
Float upward in the dusk, one glorious prayer ! 

Then let me lay 
In this dim shrine thy white magnificence 

For us, the mourners, pray. 
All through the lonely hours of darkness dense. 
Plead thou with thy majestic innocence. 

O spirit flower ! 
Too subtile art thou for the day's fierce glare, 
Thou art the chrysolite of night and prayer ! 

To me art thou the symbol of a soul — 

A lovely soul, 
That shrinks and shivers 'neath the coarse world's gaze, 
But in the depth of sorrow's gloom displays 
Its high nobility, its beauteous worth ; 

And slow expands, 
Uplifting all its powers to greet God's light, 
A throbbing, glowing, human bloom of night ! 

October 23rd, 1883, Sister Genevieve Lenahan, a novice sent 
to the Santa Rosa house, whose health had obliged her to return 
to Brown County, had the happiness of pronouncing her vows. 
Reverend P. A. Quinn officiating. It was also considered a 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 275 

matter of necessity to give up the London school this year, as 
recruits were asked for the house in Cahfornia, and our members 
were not sufficient to meet the demands in both places. The 
London school was then given over to the efficient charge of the 
Sisters of Mercy, and the house which the Ursulines owned and 
occupied, sold for some seven thousand dollars. This neat little 
sum falling rather unexpectedly into the treasury, formed the nucleus 
round which hopes long cherished began to gather and take shape, 
and finally resolve into the fixed determination of setting to work 
to carry out a cherished desire of Notre Mere's which she had 
never been able to see realized, — that of building a chapel as worthy 
of Our Divine Lord's acceptance as our means could make it. 

This was the dominant thought of the community in the year 
1884, and Mother Ursula, who had been re-elected Superior in 
the year 1883, the other officers being also re-elected, pursued the 
idea with a determination that never flagged. Mr. William H. 
Stewart, of the firm of William H. Stewart's Sons, Cincinnati, 
was asked to submit plans and estimates for the building, and to 
the kindness and courtesy with which he met every suggestion and 
wish of the sisters, are due much of the beauty and finish of the 
chapel as it stands today. 

With the slender means at command there seemed to be no 
way of realizing the hope entertained of erecting something finer 
than a modest brick structure, without outside assistance. Earnest 
prayer and unlimited confidence that God would do His own work, 
were therefore the only resource, and so untiring were the petitions 
that our Lord seemed to teach us once again, this time by illus- 
tration, the parable of the Unjust Judge. The answer came from 
the hands of a friend, a near relative of one of the sisters, who 
instead of waiting until his death to give her the portion of his 
estate intended for her, gave to the community the use of the 



276 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

money at a low rate of interest during his life time, the principal 
to revert to the convent at his death. 

The plans for the brick structure were therefore discarded, 
and after a repeated search for a good bed of rock, among the 
out-croppings along the banks of Solomon's Run, the beautiful 
limestone of which the chapel is built, was found in almost 
sufficient quantity to complete the work. A selection of the site 
was soon made and a small statute of St. Joseph placed on it, 
to assure this beloved saint of our confidence in his bringing the 
work to a happy end. The architect, Mr. Franklyn employed 
by Mr. W. H. Stewart, soon had the plans in readiness, the 
excavations were begun in October, and the first stone of the 
foundation laid by the master mason, Mr. Patrick Leavy, on the 
first Friday of November, 1884. It was completed and covered 
for the winter in the early part of December. The stone-cutters 
under Mr. Leavy were engaged throughout the entire winter 
season in fashioning the blocks of stone into their present shape, 
the fine broken Ashlar, which is so much admired. At the resum- 
ing of the work in the spring, the walls were soon ready for the 
laying of the corner-stone, this ceremony taking place on the 
afternoon of May 28th. The morning had been devoted to the pro- 
fession of Sister Gonzaga Barringer, whose vows were received 
by the Reverend Superior Father Quinn, also delegated to lay the 
corner-stone. There were medals and relics innumerable, coins 
of the year, the names of the President of the United States and 
Governor of Ohio, the parchment with the Archbishop's authoriza- 
tion and the title under which the church was dedicated — Sancti 
Cordi Jesu in Reparattone, placed in the recess of the stone cut 
for this purpose, whilst the outside bore only the name of the 
year 1885. Nuns and pupils formed in procession in the old 
chapel, with the priests present, and with banners waving in the 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 277 

gentle breeze, and the chanting of Litanies, they made a lovely 
picture in the sunset glow of the sweet May evening. 

After the ceremony the pretty operetta by Bordese, "The Mill 
of the Birds," was presented to the guests by the young ladies, 
who pleased greatly in its rendition. 

During the spring of 1884, Father Cheymol's health began to 
fail, and having besought Archbishop Elder to give him some aid 
in his duties as chaplain. His Grace replied to his urgent request 
by sending the Reverend Thomas McLeigh to his assistance. 
The reverend gentleman entering immediately upon the duties of the 
chaplaincy, Father Cheymol was now relieved of all responsibilities, 
while at the offering of the Holy Sacrifice he was always most 
kindly attended by Father McLeigh, until his ill health forced upon 
him the sad consciousness that he could no longer officiate at the 
holy altar. This, however, did not occur until about a week before 
his death, when weakness obliged him to keep his bed. About the 
twelfth of July, 1885, an attack of gastric trouble completely pros- 
trated him, and as he grew constantly weaker. Father McLeigh 
administered the last sacraments of the Holy Church to him who 
had so often given the same consolation to the hundreds waiting to 
welcome him to the company of God's saints. 

On the morning of July 17th it was evident that this happy 
moment would soon come. The devoted sisters who had watched 
his quickened breathing during the long hours of the night, were 
administering some relief, when the " first bell " of the convent 
rang out upon the morning air. This was his usual signal for 
rising to make his preparation and meditation before saying Mass, 
and although in the agony and derangement of approaching death, 
he quickly asked : " What bell is that ? " On being told that it 
was the five o'clock bell, he said: "Very well, tell them that I 
will soon be there to say my Mass ! " Fitting words to be 



278 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

recorded as the last falling from the lips of a devoted priest, whose 
only desire and aim in life seemed to be the punctual discharge 
of that sacred duty, and any other that belonged to his holy calling ! 
As the Holy Sacrifice which Father McLeigh offered for him was 
ended, the soul of our good devoted father had quitted its earthly 
dwelling for the eternal place prepared for those who love God. 

WilHam Cheymol was born of pious parents, in April 18 11, 
at Riom near Clermont, in the department of Puy de Dome, 
France. From his earliest years, he was possessed of a strong 
desire to consecrate himself to the holy ministry, and this desire 
was fostered by the saintly Father Gacon, some fourteen years his 
senior, and whose Mass, as Cure of Riom was daily served by the 
young Cheymol. Here began that linking of heart to heart, that 
distinguished the lives of these holy men. Thus fostered and 
developed, his vocation was made certain by his long course of 
study in the Sulpitian Seminary of Clermont, and we find him, 
notwithstanding the anxiety he often felt that his small stature 
might impede his ordination, ready to receive the sacred office of 
the Priesthood from the hands of Monseignor Feron, in the year 1837. 

The circumstances of his coming to America in 1839, have 
already been detailed, and Bishop Purcell sent the two friends to 
the Missions of Brown and Clermont Counties. Soon after their 
arrival, they began the building of the brick church in Fayette- 
ville, which was dedicated by the Bishop, assisted by ten priests 
and the students from the old Seminary, on October 3rd, 1841. 
After the establishment of the Convent in 1845, Reverend Mr. Butler 
was appointed to Fayetteville, and the two old friends. Fathers 
Gacon and Cheymol, restricted their labors to St. Martin's and 
the French Catholic settlers in the adjoining counties. 

Once, it is told, the Bishop having pressing need of priestly 
aid in other quarters, thought of calling Father Cheymol, to 



FIFTY YEARS IK BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 279 

another mission, but his devotion to Father Gacon was so entire, 
that the good Bishop was turned aside from his purpose, when 
the saintly Gacon laughingly warned him, that ''what God had 
joined together, let no man put asunder!" Many were the 
hardships of these devoted priests in the first months of their 
arrival at St. Martin's. Once they had no provisions in the 
house, and the prospects of going supperless to bed, stared them 
in the face. They had come in from a long tedious horseback 
ride over the rough unbroken mud roads, worn and exhausted 
by their ministerial labors. " Let us sit down," said Father 
Gacon, with the simplicity of a child, who abandons itself to the 
care of a loving Father, *'let us say grace, and if God will not 
provide, we shall wait till morning." How truly does God reward 
the confidence of lively faith ! The words of the Benediction, 
"Bless O Lord these thy gifts which we are about to receive y'' 
are yet fresh upon his lips, when a good neighbor brings in a 
basket laden with a plentiful meal. 

So good an economist was Father Cheymol, that under his 
superintendence we are told, the main building of the Convent 
was erected in those days of difficult transportation and scarcity of 
building material, for the low sum of nine thousand dollars. The 
thrift and energy with which he managed the farm and general 
working of the place, were every where evinced in the early days, 
and we who now enjoy the fruits of his toil, cannot overestimate 
the debt of gratitude which is his due. 

If the palm of justice be awarded to him who is faithful in 
little things, surely our beloved chaplain was a just man. Who 
can forget his unerring punctuality to his daily Mass, and the 
never failing presence of the priestly-robed figure emerging every 
morning from the sacristy door, turning the corner of the altar 
in the old chapel, just as the last sound of the Mass bell died 



28o FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

away. And with just the same exactness was every daily duty 
sanctified and made acceptable to God. 

Such were the thoughts that filled the sad hearts of the sisters 
as they watched round the sacred remains vested in sacerdotal 
robes in the little chapel on the days preceding the funeral. This 
took place on Monday, July 20th, the Most Reverend Archbishop 
officiating at the High Mass of Requiem ; Reverend J. M. Mackey, 
Assistant Priest; Reverend P. P. Mazurette and Reverend Thomas 
McLeigh, Deacons of Honor; Reverend D. O'Meara, Deacon of 
the Mass ; Reverend D. M. Mackey, Sub-deacon ; Reverend James 
Carey and Reverend F. Messmer, Book and Candle Bearers ; Rev- 
erend Dr. Moeller, of the Cathedral, Master of Ceremonies. There 
were also present Reverend J. Bowe, Reverend Father Huber, of 
Natchez ; Reverend M. O'Donoghue and Reverend F. Wimsey. 
Reverend Father Dutton preached an impressive eulogy on the 
virtues of the good father, who had edified him in his long resi- 
dence at the chaplain's house, as pastor of St. Martin's. He was 
laid by the side of his loved Father Gacon, and the twain, a living 
example of a faithful, holy, and therefore true, friendship lie side 
by side, awaiting as the inscription upon their head stones reads, 
''' expectans beatam speniy et adventuin gloriae magni Dei^ 

The years i884-'85 called two of our band to their reward. 
Sister Bernard Roberg departing this world in the prime of her 
young life after a long illness of consumption, August 12th, 1884. 
She was followed on January 2nd of 1885, by the venerable 
Mother Augustine Bouret, one of the last surviving members of 
the band that started from Beaulieu on the 15th of April, 1845. 
She had passed over forty years of labor in the service of God, 
and her neighbor, and her life was truly one of prayer and hidden 
with Christ in God. She was, in fact, the last of the Beaulieu 
band, as Sister Christine had preceded her in May, 1883. Sister 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 28 1 

Christine was dressed in the long coveted habit after her death, 
caused by an attack of congestion of the brain, and the sweet 
peaceful features told not of the sorrow with which her mental 
malady filled the spirit that had just gone forth. May eternal joy 
be her reward ! 

Sister Mary Austin Butler pronounced the holy vows of religion 
December 17th, 1885, i^ presence of the Reverend Superior, 
Father Quinn, whilst an impressive sermon was preached by Rev- 
erend E. A. Higgins, S. J. 

Miss Mary Borgess, of St. Louis, and Miss Maud Maginnis, of 
Zanesville, were graduated in 1885. Reverend P. A. Qiiinn pre- 
sided at the Commencement Exercises, and the audience was 
addressed in a most beautiful and fitting tribute to the school and 
the pupils by Reverend Father Coghlan, S. J. 

The walls of the beautiful stone chapel rose quickly during the 
summer of 1885, and were under roof before the setting in of 
winter. The fitting of the interior wood work progressed during 
the cold weather, and early in spring, Messrs. Theiss and Jannsen, 
of New York, were erecting the beautiful marble altars, planned 
by the eminent architect, Mr. P. C. Keeley, of Brooklyn, and 
donated by the liberality of Bishop Borgess, of Detroit. The 
stained glass windows arrived from Roermer, Holland, and were 
soon in place, the benches of fine quarter-oak were sent from the 
factory of William H. Stewart's Sons of Cincinnati, and at last all 
was in readiness for the consecration of its sacred walls to make 
it a dwelling place of the Most High. 

The 22nd of June was set for this happy event, and the even- 
ing before the numerous friends of the house began to arrive, 
everything promising most auspiciously for the morrow. But the 
narration cannot be better made than in the words of a " Special 
to the Commercial Gazette:''' 



252 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

" Between the two seas there can hardly be found today, hearts 
prouder and happier, with a very justifiable pride and happiness, than 
those of the Ursuline nuns of Brown County, who, yesterday, conse- 
crated, amid the solemnity with which the Roman ritual delights to invest 
all its ceremonial, their new expiatory chapel of the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus. Its erection has been such a work of love, fostered and forwarded 
from day to day, with devotion so unflagging, that one may well believe 
its consecration marks an era in their annals. 

Imposing as the rite undeniably is, and fraught, too, with a 
depth of meaning that the casual looker-on must needs fail to grasp, it is 
not of it that would we speak — our inborn modesty forbids — ^but of the 
chapel itself, the work, by the way, of a Cincinnatian, William H. 
Stewart, a fact over which we feel decidedly good. 

It is a remarkably fine specimen of broken ashlar limestone 
masonry, with freestone cappings, in the gothic style of the thirteenth 
century, and is, we believe, unequalled on the continent, if, indeed, it is 
not unique of its kind. The interior is a veritable marvel of beauty, 
with its stained glass windows, marble altars, brazen sanctuary railing, 
and massive oaken pews and stalls, and perhaps more noticeable yet, its 
carved, groined ceiling, an elaborate, exquisitely beautiful combination 
of oak and cherry, that carries the mind back irresistibly to the old 
monastic times, when 

With untiring chisel and unsullied souls 

Men wrought peans in wood and epics in stone. 

Whoever really wants to see an architectural gem in the purest of 
settings, must visit this new chapel at St. Martin's. 

If well deserved praise can bring sweet slumbers, Mr. Stewart 
must have been visited by very pleasant dreams last night, for his work 
passed current yesterday on every tongue as a theme for eulogium. 
But we could not help thinking, from an inadvertant remark let slip dur- 
ing a few moments' casual conversation, that he has builded even better 
than he knew. Added to the golden opinions elicited by his workman- 
ship, so faultless in every detail, his courteousness has won him the 
esteem and friendship of the good Ursulines, who so thoroughly appre- 
ciate the nameless little amenities that have made their busines relations 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 283 

with him so void of the disagreeabilities that might have found a very 
wide field in their great undertaking. 

It is with unfeigned reluctance that we turned from sweet peace- 
ful St. Martin's to the turmoil and toil of grimy Cincinnati, especially 
without sharing the treat of the young ladies' Commencement, to which 
a gracious invitation had been tendered us by the kind Lady Superior. 
A defter pen than ours, we trust, will give you a glowing account of 
the closing exercises, for as Donald MacLeod said on a like occasion 
many years ago ; ' They always do these things up brown in old 
Brown County.' 

The ceremonies of consecration, so exquisite in symbolism, and 
full of eloquence in meaning, were carried out by the officiants of the 
day, in faultless manner. Those participating in this honor with the 
Most Reverend Archbishop Elder were Dr. H. Moeller, Master of Cere- 
monies ; Reverend P. A. Quinn, of Hamilton, Celebrant of Mass ; Rev- 
erend D. O'Meara, of Avondale, Deacon ; Reverend Alphonsus Sourd, 
of Carthage, Sub-deacon ; Reverend Thomas McLeigh, Chaplain of 
the Convent, Custos Ecclesiae ; Father Mazurette, of Boston, Cross 
Bearer ; Reverend Anthony Walburg, Assistant Priest ; Reverend 
James Carey and Reverend H. Windhorst, Deacons of the Throne ; 
Mr. Casper Cahill, Thurifer ; Reverend Isaac Hoctor, Reverend Edward 
Hickey, Reverend J. W. Bonner, Chanters. Besides these the follow- 
ing priests were in the sanctuary : Fathers Bowe, Bernard Dottmann, 
McCallion, Kennedy, Foley S. J., Hayes, Migeel, Ferneding, Hundt, 
Michael O'Donoghue and James O'Donoghue. 

The church was crowded from the neighborhood and by visitors 
from elsewhere, many of them old pupils or parents of those now in 
school. The choir sang a Mass by Farmer, and the voices of the sis- 
ters, one a phenomenally clear and thrilling high soprano especially, 
were remarkably good and devotional in expression. 

Right Reverend John Ambrose Watterson preached the sermon. 
Just before mounting the altar steps he received a telegram announcing 
the death of a sister in Bedford, Pennsylvania. This sad news was 
known to a few% and made the one, under current of sorrow in what one 
of the sisters said, would otherwise have been unmitigated joy. 



284 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

The eloquent prelate was never more eloquent. He first, in 
poetic, clear-cut metaphor, showed how the chapel typified in its 
strength, in its unity, in its purity of design, the sisterhood who had 
builded it, and then took up his main thought — the union of education 
and religion. * No man could put them asunder without injury to much 
that was essential to true philosophy, perfect painting, sculpture, music, 
or even physical perfection, in short education of heart and mind in its 
true sense. ' Much of the beauty of the church is in its finish. 

The windows are entitled as follows, the title describing the figure 
and symbolism: 'The Sacred Heart of Jesus,' donated by Mr. and 
Mrs. George Roberg, of Cincinnati ; 'The Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
Mr. Michael Magevney, of Memphis, Tennessee ; ' St. Joseph,' Mrs. 
Kane and family of Dublin, Ireland ; ' The Angel Guardian,' Mr. 
Michael Collins, New York ; ' St. Ursula,' in memoiy of John Boyle, 
of Fayetteville ; ' St. Charles Borromeo,' Mr. Lawrence Dunn, of 
Tynemouth, England ; '.St. Augustine,' Mrs. Augustine Ford ; ' Una,' 
of the Commercial ; ' St. Angela Merici,' in memory of Mr. and Mrs. 
Bernard Slevin, of St. Louis. The window in the visitors' Chapel 
is also a beautiful one, Cincinnati work, donated by Mr. D. Foley, of 
Cincinnati, ' in memory of his wife. ' The interior windows of the 
sanctuary are also Cincinnati work, one, the donation of Mr. James 
Walsh, of Covington. 

The woodwork of the ceiling, with its fretted arches, is marvel- 
ously beautiful. The organ is a very fine one, of Philadelphia make, 
purchased through the generosity of Mr. Michael Magevney, of Mem- 
phis, Tennessee, and does away with the organ casing, the pipes being 
ornamented in tints corresponding to the ornamentation of the chapel. 

In the evening the Annual Commencement Exercises took place, 
during which Miss Mary Frances Piatt, of Covington, was crowned with 
the laurel of the graduating class. The music throughout was exquisite, 
the salient feature being, however, the superb voice of Miss Gertrude 
Williamson, of Sharon, Pennsylvania. 

The Commencement Exercises of 1886 will be memorable not 
alone for the excellence and prospects of the school, not alone from the 
consecration of the chapel, but on account of a cablegram from the 
Eternal City. Early in the day the Sisters had sent greeting to His 



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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 285 

Holiness, and craved his benediction on their labors. All day long 
they hoped against hope that the answer would not be so long delayed 
by the isolation of St. Martin's from telegraph lines, that their perfect 
day would not fail to be overflowed with happiness. Just at nightfall 
it came from far-off* Rome. The Holy Father benignantly grants 
the request of the Ursulines for his blessing upon their new chapel." 

The year 1886 brought the recurrence of the election for the 
officers of the Community. Mother Ursula Dodds had served the 
six years allowed by rule, but for wise and sufficient reasons, the 
Most Reverend Archbishop listened to the petition of the Commu- 
nity, requesting him to procure a dispensation for her re-election, 
from Rome. The request of the Archbishop having been graciously 
granted, the re-election of this loved Mother took place August 25th. 
Sister Dion3^sia Borgess was elected to the office of Assistant ; 
Sister M. Baptista Freaner, Zelatrice ; while that of Treasurer 
was again filled by Sister Gabriel Dohan. 

An unexpected legacy falling to a member of the Communit3^ 
enabled them to make some very necessary improvements in the 
plumbing of the house, in the summer of 1887, and to put in a 
steam forcing pump, thereby securing a better water supply from 
the little lake, than that given by the old fashioned horse power. 
On the night of the very day that saw the little pump in operation 
for the first time, it was called upon to do most valuable service, 
and but for its timely aid, it is probable the present suite of 
buildings would not be standing. 

About ten o'clock at night, the large wooden barns of the 
convent, standing on the site of the commodious brick structure of 
today, were discovered to be on fire. There was a "dance" in 
the village that night, and some of the men engaged in the work 
of plumbing then going on in the house, saw from their boarding 
house, the smoke and tiny jets of flames in their first issue. In 



286 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

a moment, Mr. Oliver Schlemmer, the plumber, was in the field 
followed by scores of young men, our good neighbors, whose timely 
efforts saved the horses and cattle from the flames that were 
beginning to enclose them. After quickly leading from their stalls, 
the animals plunging and rearing in their wild sympathy with 
the excitement, Mr. Schlemmer at once lighted up the little engine, 
and soon had a fine stream of water playing on the parched 
grass between the barns and other out-buildings, which by their 
nearness to the house, placed it in great danger. The wind 
blowing steadily from the north, carried the large living embers 
of the light shingles and dry timber of the barn roof, as far as 
the presbytery. And the beautiful chapel that had just been con- 
secrated ! Ah ! it was there, that fervent petitions were poured 
out from anxious hearts, and arms outstretched in prayer that 
found themselves helpless to stay the flames ! Cinders were falling 
upon its slate roof, and grave fears of its safety were felt. But see ! 
All eyes are turned to the play hall, — this, though the farthest 
building in the line, has a shingled roof, and the dry wood has 
caught from the hot cinders that are carried by the wind. In a 
moment. Fathers McLeigh and Bonner have reached it, followed 
by a band of brave men, and with a line of buckets quickly 
formed, and the aid of wet blankets, it is saved. The wind 
changed and allayed about this time, and to this happy circum- 
stance, considered an answer to fervent prayers, we may attribute 
the fact that no further damage resulted. 

To the brave men who risked life and limb in their efforts 
to restrain the progress of the flames, we owe a debt of deepest 
gratitude. Where so many were heroic in their exertions, it would 
be impossible to name them as they deserve, but their deed of 
charity will surely meet its full reward. 




^--. \ 



BITS OF LANDSCAPE IN 1887. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 287 

Temporary shelter was put up for the horses and cattle during 
the winter, which proved to be one of the severest of many years. 
Plans were drawn up for the rebuilding of the barns, and work on 
the foundation began at once. Owing however, to a want of the 
necessary means, and inability to borrow the money, their completion 
was deferred until the winter of i890-'9i, when a loan was nego- 
tiated for this purpose. 

The death of Sister Genevieve Lenahan, and that of Sister 
Mary Francis Preston, occurred respectively, September 6th, 1886, 
and February loth, 1887. Both merited the martyr's crown in 
the long and patient suffering preceding their release. 

The year 1887 passed without incident, save that of the annual 
Commencement, which brought graduating honors to Miss Margaret 
Jordan, of New Jersey, and Miss Mary McCarthy, of Cincinnati. 

May 22nd, 1888, witnessed the happy profession of Sister 
John Berchmans Slevin, the Most Reverend Archbishop officiating, 
assisted by Reverend Fathers McLeigh and Bonner, and the 
Reverend Dr. Moeller of the Cathedral. 

Four graduates graced the Distribution of this year. Misses Mary 
Bloomer and Mary Maginnis, of Zanesville ; Miss Gertrude Cahill, 
of Chillicothe, and Miss Jane Freschard, of Owensville, Ohio. 

During the month of August, 1889, the usual elections held 
every three years again took place, resulting in the choice of 
Sister M. Baptista Freaner as Superior, Sister M. Dionysia Borgess, 
Assistant, and the re-election of Sister M. Berchmans O'Connor 
to the office of Zelatrice, and of Sister M. Gabriel Dohan, Treasurer. 

During the summer of 1888, the failing health of a most 
effi-cient teacher. Sister M. Bernardine Desmond, became evident, 
and during the winter and spring of the succeeding year, she lin- 
gered in the sufferings of consumption until April 6th, when a holy 
death released her patient soul. 



288 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

Bishop Macheboeuf did not long survive his old friend, Father 
Cheymol, and with his saintly death, July loth, 1889, the last of 
the chief actors in the foundation of Brown County passed from 
the scenes we have been reviewing, whilst their memory will live 
in their deathless works, and in the traditions that hold them dear. 

It is still our duty to record another loss in the person of our 
Reverend Superior, Father P. A. Quinn. For several years he 
had been a great sufferer from erysipelas, and in 1889, as he found 
himself unable to attend to the duties of his parish of St. Mary's, 
Chillicothe, the Most Reverend Archbishop, at his earnest solicita- 
tion, removed him to St. Martin's to succeed Reverend Father 
Bonner. Incapacitated by his state of health to perform the duties 
of pastor, he was ably assisted by Reverend Thomas Boulger, who 
remained with him as long as he had need of his service. It had 
always been his wish to rest in our little cemetery where his good 
friends, Archbishop and Father Edward Purcell were awaiting the 
resurrection, and at his death, occurring April 6th, he was laid near 
their resting place. Many of the clergy were present at his 
funeral, at which Archbishop Elder preached most effectively on 
the well-known virtues of the deceased. He spoke of him as one 
of the wisest and most experienced counsellors, — one, who whilst 
conspicuously renowned for his ripe judgment and executive ability 
in financial matters, yet never lost sight of the importance of his 
spiritual duties, ever guarding the dignity of his sacred character 
with a circumspection truly admirable. A large number of devoted 
friends and former parishioners followed his remains to the grave 
amid the soul-stirring chanting of the Miserere by his brother 
priests, while every countenance gave evidence that from the heart 
arose the fervent prayer — Requiescat in pace. 

At the Commencement of i889-'90, the Most Reverend Arch- 
bishop conferred the medal and crown on Miss Roberta Jordan, of 



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FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 289 

Woodbury, New Jersey ; and Miss Clara Freschard, Owensville, O. 
Miss Mary Hale Porteous, of New Orleans, the third member of 
the class, having received her medal in May after completing 
her course, being obliged to sail with friends to Europe at a 
time that prevented her remaining for the Commencement. In 
1890, the same honors were conferred on Miss Ellen Magevney, 
Memphis, Tennessee ; Miss Gertrude Hulsman, Cincinnati ; Miss 
Helen Sheble, St. Louis, and Miss Blanche Thomas, Memphis, 
Tennessee. 

Miss Helen Michel Maginnis, of Zanesville ; Miss Henrietta 
Mary Green, of St. Louis, and Miss Florence Irene McNamara, 
of Cincinnati, formed a brilliant graduating class in 1891, and 
the Commencement Exercises elicited great praise from a most 
critical audience. 

These years also added two new members to the community. 
Sister Margaret Lock wood, who pronounced her holy vows on 
October 9th, 1889, and Sister Fidelis Coleman, May 28th, 1891. 
whilst the last professed choir sister, Sister Monica Maginnis, bound 
herself to holy religion, July 25th, 1892. The Most Reverend 
Archbishop officiated at these ceremonies, assisted by Father 
McLeigh, and at the last two by the Very Reverend Superior, 
Thomas S. Byrne. 

The 26th of July, 1892, the last triennial elections were held. 
Mother Ursula Dodds again assuming the responsibilities of Mother 
Superior, Mother Teresa Sherlock was made Assistant, and Mother 
Berchmans O'Connor elected as Treasurer, with a re-election as 
Zelatrice. And thus as our circle of years draws to the beginning 
of a new epoch in our history, we would fain close it without 
inserting the record that death has made in the years between 
i89i-'94. On April 28th, 1891, Sister Martina, wonderful in her 
inventive genius, which could turn from the making of a shoe or 



290 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

a wheelbarrow, to the mending of an electric machine, a galvanic 
battery or a telescope, was called from a life of toil to the rest 
of God's saints, and in the same year, our Christmas day was sad- 
dened by the presence of death, when Sister Mary Thomas Grannin 
yielded up her pure soul to God. Early in January a wave of 
influenza struck the house, and among the many prostrated by it, 
two were called to the eternal home. Sister Magdalen Rigal, 
February ist, and Sister Mary Joseph Barrett, on the third of the 
same month. 

Sister M. Dionysia Borgess, Assistant Superior, had been long 
suffering from a fatal malady, and whilst our hearts were yet 
sore with grief over the losses of the preceding months, she, too, 
terminated her long and patient illness by a most happy and edifying 
death. And in the next nine months all these trials culminated 
when Mother Josephine Dunn was taken from our midst. It was 
fondly hoped that she would survive the fiftieth year of the foun- 
dation, as the only living representative in America, of the band of 
1845. But an attack of pneumonia left her so prostrate that her 
naturally delicate constitution lost its power of resistance, and she 
calmly slept in our Lord on the beautiful festival of the Annun- 
ciation, 1893. She was followed to the little cemetery by many 
mourning friends, whilst the Very Reverend Dr. Byrne preached 
a sermon, beautiful and appropriate to the sad occasion. Sister 
Clementine O'Donoghue was next snatched from us on January 26th, 
1894, and thus in less than three years seven precious lives have 
been borne away from the militant company of St. Ursula to the 
glorious army that chants her praises in heaven. 

In seeking a successor to fill the position from which Father 
Quinn had been removed by death, the community were led blindly, 
as it were, to a choice. Their old friends among the clergy were all 
gone, and the younger members knew them not. But in soliciting 




RT. REV. THOS. S. BYRNE, D. D. 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 29 1 

for this position the services and paternal interest of the Very Rev- 
erend Thomas S. Byrne, President of Mount St. Mary's Seminary, 
which they did with the earnest approval of the Most Reverend 
Archbishop, they were indeed fortunate. During the four years 
of his administration he has been the prudent Superior, the wise 
Counsellor, and the sincere friend of the community. To his 
untiring efforts in their interests they owe many debts of grati- 
tude, and whilst regretting the loss they have lately sustained in 
his being taken from their midst, they rejoice in the new dignity 
which has been deservedly bestowed upon him by the Holy Father, 
in nominating him to the episcopal office as Bishop of Nashville, 
Tennessee. Through his advice and direction, and the legal ability 
with which Honorable M. T. Corcoran, of Cincinnati, set forth 
the justice of their claim before the courts of Brown County, the 
Convent has been released from an assessment of taxes which had 
been made contrary to the laws of the State, on some of the 
buildings of the convent property. 

On July 25th, the Feast of St. James, Apostle, this learned 
professor and zealous priest received the sacred unction and high 
power of the episcopate, in the church of St. Joseph, at Nash- 
ville. May his new field of labor be blessed with the same fruit- 
ful yielding for God's glory that has marked his priestly path in 
the State he leaves, and may friends as true make light by their 
fidelity to God and to their Bishop, the burden of the mitre that 
crowns his later years ! 

Sister Rita Connolly joined the ranks of the community at the 
ending of her two years novitiate, October 23rd, 1893, and on 
May 1st, 1894, Archbishop Elder also received the vows of Sister 
Mary Francis Gilleece and Sister Philomena Monroe. Again 
His Grace most kindly presided September 26th, at the profession 
of Sister Mary Ita Monaghan. Eighteen hundred and ninety- 



292 FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 

two sent out to their work in the great world two of the graduate 
class, Miss Delia Bering, of Cincinnati, and Miss Margaret Jones, 
of New York. Miss Emily Borgess, of St. Louis, and Miss 
Edith Allen, of Chicago, formed the class the following year, 
while 1894 gave the largest number for many years, — Miss M. 
Genevieve Green, of St. Louis ; Miss Laura Porteous, of New 
Orleans ; Miss Mable Morgan, of Washington, D. C. ; Miss Edna 
Field Brooks, Louisville ; Miss Louise Marsh, Columbus ; Miss 
Katherine Bloomer, Zanesville. One of the class was called from 
the earthly crowning of the honors so well earned by her fidelity 
to duty and spotless innocence of life, during the six years spent 
as a convent pupil, to the heavenly crown of life eternal. During 
the spring months of 1894, Daisy Braley, of London, Ohio, a 
most promising member of this class, showed symptoms of failing 
health, and hoping that a few weeks of rest and change would 
restore her, she left for home in the early days of April. Animated 
with the strong desire to share with her class-mates in June, the 
graduating honors so fondly coveted, she would not relinquish the 
hope of returning, but her ardent wishes were not destined to 
be realized in this world. Growing steadily worse her strength 
decHned from day to day, and her fond parents were at last called 
upon in September, to give back the young and innocent child into 
the Hands of Him, who gave the precious gift into their keeping. 

TO DAISY BRALEY. 

DIED SEPTEMBER 24, 1894. 

A Daisy-bud was nodding 
In the rosy-tinted dawn, 
When the sun advanced, majestic 
Over mountain, moor and lawn, 
Till its shining reached the flower, 
Till its splendor ruled the morn, 
While the rosy blush grew fainter, 
On to other regions borne. 







O 

5 



o 

z 

n 
O 

m 
z 

n 

rn 

m 
z 

H 
> 




FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 293 

Then the Daisy ope'd its petals 

To the golden light of day, 

Casting up a look of wonder, 

Drinking in one sunny ray. 

What has hued its white tips crimson ? 

Answer, little flower ; say 

Do you love the great sun yonder, 

That you gaze upon it, aye ? 

Ah ! the daisy need not tell me ; 
Well, I know her secret rare. 
Since she looked upon his shining 
She was His — the daisy fair ; 
And she lived upon His glory 
In that upper, finer air. 
Till He pitied, and He called her. 
And she reigneth with Him there ! 

Sister . 



At last we have come to the one joyous thought, that reigns 
supreme today in the heart of Brown County Convent, — to make 
the coming celebration a brilliant crowning for the Fifty Years 
here chronicled. We have traced the lights and shadows of 
these years with no attempt at chronological sequence, placing 
them here and there, like mosaics, where best they seem to har- 
monize. As a fitting culmination to these years of labor, short for 
the very love that has filled them, we hope to encircle around us 
again, all the once familiar members of the class rooms, that 
together we may revisit each well remembered spot, and together lift 
up our voices for the many who have lived their short span of 
life, and our hearts and hands in intercession and prayer. Almost on 
the threshold of the twentieth century, we hope to see the offspring 
of the fifty years of our Nourishing Mother, assembled once again 
around her board, to oflfer a libitation to her undying memory, 
to her golden years of the past, as they file before us in meas- 
ured march to the shores of the great Eternity. 



294 



FIFTY YEARS IN BROWN COUNTY CONVENT. 



The appointed day and the details of the celebration will be 
given in due time, but as many cannot be reached by the names 
of the fair maidenhood, with which they graced the halls of Brown 
County, we avail ourselves of this opportune moment to extend 
to one and all a most cordial invitation and most hearty welcome 
to the old convent home, when spring again clothes her woods and 
lawns and garden in freshened beauty. May the sacred fire of 
love of the spot where their young years were passed, burn with 
quickened glow in all hearts that, impelled to look once more 
upon the face of their Alma Mater, they may cry to her in one 
strong voice, '' Prospere procede, et regnal'^ 




